fuselage

noun

fu·​se·​lage ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh 

-zə-

: the central body portion of an aircraft designed to accommodate the crew and the passengers or cargo see airplane illustration

Examples of fuselage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dragonfly Is Ahead Of Schedule Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland recently delivered Dragonfly’s nearly 13-foot-long fuselage ahead of schedule after completing a month of structural testing. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Giant wing targets efficiency Flying-wing aircraft combine the fuselage and wings into a single lifting structure. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026

Some of them were informal advisers during development of the exhibitions, including an airplane fuselage where visitors can role-play as pilots and passengers, take a flight, and learn that, as O’Hare expanded so, too, did Rosemont. — Christopher Placek, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

In 2019, inspections were ordered for some Boeing 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900 after some planes were found to have cracks in the component connecting the plane’s fuselage to the wings. — Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from fuselé "spindle-shaped" (from past participle of fuseler "to give the shape of a spindle to," going back to Middle French, derivative of fusel "spindle," diminutive of fus "spindle," going back to Latin fūsus, of obscure origin) + -age -age

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fuselage

• auge
• hodge
• podge
• dislodge
• hodgepodge

Kids Definition

fuselage

noun

fu·​se·​lage ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh 

ˈfyü-zə-

: the central body portion of an airplane that holds the crew, passengers, and cargo