: the speed (as of an airplane) with relation to the air compare ground speed
Examples of airspeed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Engine power was set at 103% during the continuous climb, yielding 280 knots true airspeed, which equates to 322.4 miles per hour.
—
Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 26 Aug. 2025
Unable to guide the craft without airspeed data, the autopilot automatically disengaged as it was set to do, returning control of the plane to the pilots.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
These components include a flight controller with autopilot, navigation modules and antennas and an airspeed sensor.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
In 1976, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird set an airspeed record of 2,193 mph, which has also never been bettered.
—Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 27 Apr. 2025
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Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 26 Aug. 2025
Unable to guide the craft without airspeed data, the autopilot automatically disengaged as it was set to do, returning control of the plane to the pilots.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
These components include a flight controller with autopilot, navigation modules and antennas and an airspeed sensor.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
In 1976, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird set an airspeed record of 2,193 mph, which has also never been bettered.
—Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airspeed
Cite this Entry
“Airspeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airspeed. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
airspeed
noun
air·speed
-ˌspēd 
: the speed of an airplane according to measurements of the surrounding air rather than of the ground below
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