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

According to Cai Suliang, identified by CCTV as a member of a PLA bomber formation, the aircraft’s most visible difference from the H-6K is the addition of two externally mounted pods. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026

The president then boarded a different aircraft bound for Davos. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

After the original aircraft landed, staffers scrambled to transfer luggage between the planes while crew quickly moved boxes of fruit, and wrapped sandwiches and beverages, according to pool reporters, a group of journalists who accompany the president during travels. —Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

The aircraft turned back and landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where the president and those traveling with him were set to board a different aircraft and then resume travel to Switzerland for the global economic conference. —Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026

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