Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

airborne

play
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

See airborne defined for English-language learners

See airborne defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-59c448f88ea38
Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Examples of airborne in a Sentence

  1. Once the plane was airborne I loosened my seat belt.

  2. Thousands of airborne troops parachuted behind enemy lines.

Recent Examples of airborne from the Web

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.

First Known Use of airborne

1637

AIRBORNE Defined for English Language Learners

airborne

play
adjective

Definition of airborne for English Language Learners

  • : 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

AIRBORNE Defined for Kids

airborne

play
adjective air·borne \ ˈer-ˌbȯrn \

Definition of airborne for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

airborne

play
adjective air·borne \ -ˌbōrn \

medical Definition of airborne

:carried or transported by the air
  • airborne allergens
  • airborne bacteria

Learn More about airborne

  1. See 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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up airborne? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

anathematize

play

to curse or denounce

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

airborne

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

image1644821030
8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: airborne in a Sentence