airborne

adjective air·borne \ -ˌbȯrn \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

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

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 of airborne from the Web

Kenseth went airborne as Patrick sailed under him and crashed hard into the interior SAFER Barrier and caught fire.

— ellen j. horrow, USA TODAY, "Watch: Wild and memorable NASCAR crashes at Talladega Superspeedway," 27 Apr. 2018
The woman, Brittany Hawkins, was a lifeguard who knew the park's operator and told him she was injured after her raft went airborne.

— author: cleve r. wootson jr., Anchorage Daily News, "They helped design a record-breaking waterslide – and were arrested after it decapitated a boy," 3 Apr. 2018
The woman, Brittany Hawkins, was a lifeguard who knew the park's operator and told him she was injured after her raft went airborne.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "A boy was decapitated on a waterslide. Now the ride's 'visionary' creator faces a murder charge.," 28 Jan. 2018
Air pollution levels were the highest in the eastern Mediterranean and southeast Asia, where in some areas airborne toxins were five times WHO limits and disproportionately affected the poor and most vulnerable.

— Bloomberg.com, "Air Pollution Kills 7 Million People a Year, WHO Reports," 1 May 2018
Two other women riding with Caleb also were injured when their raft went airborne.

— Fox News, "Murder charges could hinder water park's debt repayment," 11 Apr. 2018
The woman, Brittany Hawkins, was a lifeguard who knew the park’s operator and told him she was injured after her raft went airborne.

— cleve r. wootson jr., BostonGlobe.com, "Federal agents arrest designer of Kansas water slide that killed boy," 4 Apr. 2018
Now in its tenth year in the Arctic, Operation IceBridge is an airborne mission flown annually over both polar regions using various instruments to measure the changes to the ice sheets, ice shelves, and sea ice.

— National Geographic, "Mysterious Arctic Ice Holes Baffle Scientists," 23 Apr. 2018
Fellowes AeraMax 100 Air Purifier does it by using a four-stage filtration process that safely removes 99.7% of airborne particles such as pollen, ragweed, dust mites and smoke.

— banu ibrahim, CNN Underscored, "Five products you'll swear by this allergy season," 13 Apr. 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.

First Known Use of airborne

1637

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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AIRBORNE Defined for English Language Learners

airborne

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

adjective air·borne \ ˈer-ˌbȯrn \

Definition of airborne for Students

: moving through the air

airborne dust particles

The plane was airborne.

Medical Dictionary

airborne

adjective air·borne \ -ˌbōrn \

medical Definition of airborne

: carried or transported by the air

airborne allergens

airborne bacteria

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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

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airborne

Definition of airborne

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AIRBORNE Defined for English Language Learners

airborne

Definition of airborne for English Language Learners

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airborne

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airborne

medical Definition of airborne

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