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

Multiple aircraft, cutters and small boats searched 1,047 square miles over 24 hours, finding debris near the location where the EPIRB was activated, along with one body and an unoccupied life raft that had been deployed. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026

On July 2, 1937 Earhart was at the controls of a twin-engine Lockheed Electra 10E aircraft, with Fred Noonan serving as navigator, when the plane disappeared. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026

The data and experience gained from the program could inform the development of future eVTOL aircraft capable of transporting people and cargo within and between cities. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026

Israel's military said its aircraft and armored units had returned fire after militants started shooting at troops, badly wounding a reservist soldier who was evacuated to a hospital. —CBS News, 4 Feb. 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