airborne

adjective

air·borne | \ -ˌbȯrn

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

That potency is one reason why a 2015 review of epidemiologic studies and lab experiments published in the American Journal of Infection Control notes that norovirus may present the biggest risk of airborne infection from toilet plume. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "What's the Most Sanitary Way to Store Your Toothbrush?," 29 Mar. 2019 Mold spores and other airborne bacteria: Wet bathrooms and kitchens are common sources. — Ann Lien, House Beautiful, "The 10 Best Air-Purifying Houseplants," 12 Mar. 2019 People do tend to think of airborne vehicles, but there’s an unmanned surface ship that’s in sea trials right now. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "A retired Navy captain explains how drones will shape the future of war," 5 Dec. 2018 Thousands of destroyers, battleships, attack vessels, and transport ships comprised the armada; the sky was a violent mirror, with airborne divisions raining down thousands of bombs simultaneously. — Paula Mclain, Town & Country, "The Extraordinary Life of Martha Gellhorn, the Woman Ernest Hemingway Tried to Erase," 12 July 2018 At the moment, the flight path, sensor payload and weapons disposal of airborne drones such as Air Force Predators and Reapers are coordinated from ground control stations. — Fox News, "Air Force brings AI to B-2, F-35 and F-15," 31 July 2018 About 40 golf courses in the United States and Canada already are customers of another Boston startup, GreenSight Agronomics, which leases small airborne drones outfitted with infrared cameras. — Scott Kirsner, BostonGlobe.com, "How golf startups are bringing innovation to a tradition-steeped game," 25 May 2018 The wings are folded back during transport but pop out once the drone is airborne. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Marines’ Plywood Supply Drone Is Undergoing Flight Tests," 20 Mar. 2019 Together, those ingredients create a steam-hot blend of airborne hazards that’s dangerous to breathe or get in your eyes. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "The lava striking the sea is gorgeous — and can be deadly," 22 May 2018

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.