airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈer-ˌbȯrn 

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

Roger Davis, who manages the airborne strategic command and communications program, described the delivery as an important milestone. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

The airborne spectacle was a prototype demonstration, not a test of a production-ready vehicle. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

The motor then reverses to reset the limb, with much of the reset taking place while the robot is airborne. — New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026

One car that is in development, made by California start-up Alef, has been able to get airborne using eight propellers, four in the front and four in the back. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for airborne

• adorn
• blackthorn
• broomcorn
• buckhorn
• buckthorn
• careworn
• firstborn
• foodborne
• forborne
• forewarn
• forlorn
• forsworn

Kids Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈa(ə)r-ˌbōrn 

-ˌbȯrn, 

ˈe(ə)r-

: supported or transported by air

airborne troops

Medical Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne -ˌbōrn 

: carried or transported by the air

airborne allergens

airborne bacteria