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

Meanwhile, the breakaway republic of Somaliland on the Horn of Africa provided Israel with an additional military position, one of the sources said, allowing Israeli aircraft a point to potentially stop on long-range flights to Iran. —Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 June 2026

Local, state and federal first responders worked on containing the blaze, assisted by water delivery aircraft. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 4 June 2026

The latter is no small feat because supersonic speed dramatically changes the aerodynamics of an aircraft, making missile launches or bomb drops extremely difficult, to put it mildly. —David Szondy june 04, New Atlas, 4 June 2026

To date, the organization has shipped four million pounds of food and relief materials to Jamaica through cargo aircraft, shipping containers and cruise vessels. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 June 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