aircraft

noun

air·​craft ˈer-ˌkraft 

plural aircraft

often attributive

: a vehicle (such as an airplane or balloon) for traveling through the air

Examples of aircraft in a Sentence

a company that manufactures aircraft

Recent Examples on the Web

Flight trackers showed aircraft circling near airports as the Transport Ministry restricted aircraft from altitudes below 3,000 meters (9843 ft). —Reuters 5 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

The aircraft runs on Anduril’s Lattice mission autonomy software. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025

Activist pressure has pushed several companies this year into sales, including Kenvue and aircraft owner AirLease. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Grade made headlines after she was forced to cancel her trip to Brazil because an aircraft safety issue grounded her flight. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aircraft

• aircraft carrier
• rotary-wing aircraft

Rhymes for aircraft

• abaft
• camshaft
• crankshaft
• downdraft
• engraft
• priestcraft
• redraft
• schoolcraft
• spacecraft
• stagecraft
• statecraft
• updraft

Kids Definition

aircraft

noun

air·​craft ˈa(ə)r-ˌkraft 

ˈe(ə)r-

plural aircraft

: a machine (as an airplane, glider, or helicopter) that can travel through the air and that is supported either by its own buoyancy or by the action of the air against its surfaces