fairing

1 of 2

noun (1)

fair·​ing ˈfer-iŋ How to pronounce fairing (audio)
Synonyms of fairingnext
1
British
a
: a present bought or given at a fair
b
: gift
2

fairing

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a member or structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and to reduce drag (as on an airplane)

Examples of fairing in a Sentence

Noun (1) business takes him to all corners of the globe, but he never fails to bring back fairings for the family back in London
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Engineers also conducted tuft testing on wheel fairings and panel gaps to validate real-world airflow against computer simulations, refining aerodynamic efficiency and vehicle fit. Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026 Bolstering its café racer profile are clip-on bars, bar-end mirrors, and a short fairing. New Atlas, 19 Feb. 2026 The 46-foot (14-meter) fairing made its way via barge and truck to Rocket Lab's facilities at MARS, after departing from the company's California test facility in December. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Future New Glenn flights will also feature a reusable payload fairing that can be recovered after being jettisoned in the upper atmosphere, a cost-saving step that SpaceX adopted years ago for Falcon 9 launches. PC Magazine, 21 Nov. 2025 The upper stage carrying the payload fairing will continue in space, helping to send the ESCAPADE satellites to Mars. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025 The Vulcan and Atlas V use similar composite payload fairings, both made by Beyond Gravity, the space division of the Swiss company RUAG. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

fair entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fairing was in 1574

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fairing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairing. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on fairing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster