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airborne

adjective
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air·​borne | \ ˈer-ˌbȯrn How to pronounce airborne (audio) \

Definition of airborne

1 : done or being in the air : being off the ground: such as
a : carried through the air (as by an aircraft)
b : supported especially by aerodynamic forces or propelled through the air by force a plane becoming airborne
c : transported or carried by the air airborne allergens
2 : trained for deployment by air and especially by parachute airborne troops

Examples of airborne in a Sentence

Once the plane was airborne I loosened my seat belt. Thousands of airborne troops parachuted behind enemy lines.
Recent Examples on the Web In other words, exactly the places where airborne transmission and aerosols could pose a risk. — Zeynep Tufekci, The Atlantic, "We Need to Talk About Ventilation," 30 July 2020 In the Telegraph piece, experts say air conditioning units that re-circulate the same air in a room need to be either turned off or used with the windows open, in order to stop airborne transmission of COVID-19. — Shelby Stewart, Houston Chronicle, "Texans have a love affair with air conditioning. But what if turning it off could slow COVID-19?," 13 July 2020 Fears about airborne coronavirus transmission virtually killed off those group rides for a few months. — al, "The way we roll: How COVID-19 has changed cycling," 10 July 2020 The World Health Organization is acknowledging the possibility of airborne transmission of covid-19, following a letter from more than 200 scientists that urged the agency to do so. — Washington Post, "Live updates: Experts call for states to shut down again as coronavirus deaths trend upward," 10 July 2020 An elevator is the perfect incubator for an airborne virus in many ways. — Anne Quito, Quartz at Work, "Covid-19 is a problem for elevators. Is the paternoster lift the solution?," 18 June 2020 The glass doors to all the rooms were closed to prevent the airborne virus from drifting into the hallways. — Lauren Caruba, San Antonio Express-News, "Night Shift," 12 June 2020 After hundreds of specialists urged the World Health Organization to review mounting scientific research, the agency acknowledged Tuesday that airborne transmission of the coronavirus may be a threat in indoor spaces. — BostonGlobe.com, "WHO to review evidence of airborne transmission of coronavirus," 8 July 2020 Governments have started to move on their own to combat airborne transmission. — Dyani Lewis, Scientific American, "Mounting Evidence Suggests Coronavirus is Airborne—but Health Advice Has Not Caught Up," 8 July 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'airborne.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of airborne

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Time Traveler for airborne

Time Traveler

The first known use of airborne was in 1637

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Statistics for airborne

Last Updated

4 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Airborne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airborne. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for airborne

airborne

adjective
How to pronounce airborne (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of airborne

: in the air : moving or being carried through the air
of soldiers : specially trained to jump from airplanes into enemy territory for battle also : of or relating to airborne soldiers

See the full definition for airborne in the English Language Learners Dictionary

airborne

adjective
air·​borne | \ ˈer-ˌbȯrn How to pronounce airborne (audio) \

Kids Definition of airborne

: moving through the air airborne dust particles The plane was airborne.

airborne

adjective
air·​borne | \ -ˌbōrn How to pronounce airborne (audio) \

Medical Definition of airborne

: carried or transported by the air airborne allergens airborne bacteria

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More from Merriam-Webster on airborne

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with airborne

Spanish Central: Translation of airborne

Nglish: Translation of airborne for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of airborne for Arabic Speakers

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