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

The jets carry a large circular rotating radar dome on struts 11 feet above their fuselage. —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026

By the time the plane crashed, in a forest at thirty-five hundred feet, its fuselage had broken in two and a trail of debris ten miles long stretched behind it. —Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

The fuselage, or the helicopter's main body, inverted, with it and the tailboom hitting terrain about 150 and 350 feet from the lines, the report added. —Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Light yet strong, aluminum formed 60% of a heavy bomber’s engines, 90% of its wings and fuselage, and all of its propellers. —Thomas Robertson, Fortune, 17 Feb. 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