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

Systems designed to support a blind astronaut navigating through sound cues, for instance, might later improve safety in hospitals, aircraft, or smart buildings. —Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025

Polish jets shot down at least three of the aircraft. —George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

The restrictions there go up to 12,000 feet, meaning high-flying commercial aircraft can still transit the airspace. —David Brennan, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025

But a PCMag reader pointed out the application requests permission to conduct the tests at a Pendleton, Oregon, airport site used for unmanned aircraft, including from a Boeing company called Insitu. —PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 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