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

These countries are tied to US manufacturers, American software and even munitions to keep these jets airborne. —Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026

Measured by Doppler radar, this record overthrew the previous airborne wind speed record belonging to fellow Oklahoma town Red Rock, which recorded 286 mph winds during a tornado in 1991. —Josh Lew, Treehugger, 20 Jan. 2026

An air purifier can help reduce dust and other airborne irritants, and right now, the Ecoself Air Purifier is on sale at Amazon for 74 percent off, thanks to an on-page coupon, which brings the price down to $60. —Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026

Those that do not sport an official rating are not guaranteed to filter out the maximum amount of airborne particulates. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 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