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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 The big Nomad plug splashes down, and the dorado is airborne again, this time with my lure. — Michael R. Shea, Outdoor Life, "Kayak Fishing Saved Lance Clinton’s Life," 11 Feb. 2020 The plane has already been spotted on the runway performing rejected take off and low-speed taxi tests, but the plane has not yet been airborne. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, "Boeing’s Colossal 777x Is About to Have Its First Test Flight," 23 Jan. 2020 Having gotten his two stars airborne, director and cowriter Tom Harper (Peaky Blinders, War & Peace) now has them captive, a sort of large-scale bottle episode in the sky. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are sky voyagers adrift in The Aeronauts: Review," 6 Dec. 2019 Gabriel David Conde — both airborne infantrymen with 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division — will now live on indefinitely at JBER. — Jeff Parrott, Anchorage Daily News, "‘It’s good that we don’t forget’: Two JBER soldiers memorialized after their deaths in Afghanistan," 8 Nov. 2019 The pickup went airborne, landed off the road and exploded into flames. — Forum News Service, Twin Cities, "Truck driver gets 20 days for crash that killed Minnesota man," 28 Oct. 2019 Once the plane is airborne, the passengers are able to walk through the aircraft to take photos, observe the pilots, crawl into the bombardier position in the nose of the aircraft, and visit the navigator station just below the flight deck. — Steven Goode, courant.com, "7 dead, 7 injured in crash of World War II bomber at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport," 2 Oct. 2019 Lindsay Casperson of Kaysville, Utah, filed a lawsuit against Mississippi's Fair Commission alleging that fairgrounds workers sprayed liquid onto a 30-year-old, 40-foot-tall superslide, causing her to go airborne and injure her back. — Arkansas Online, "In the news," 10 Dec. 2019 Miller American Buick went airborne in the trioval on the 22nd lap and tore down about 100 feet of the catchfence. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Alabama 200: State’s sports history littered with amazing, memorable moments," 27 Nov. 2019

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

16 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Airborne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airborne. Accessed 26 Feb. 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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