helicopter

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noun he·li·cop·ter \ ˈhe-lə-ˌkäp-tər , ˈhē- \

Definition of helicopter

:an aircraft whose lift is derived from the aerodynamic forces acting on one or more powered rotors turning about substantially vertical axes

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Examples of helicopter in a Sentence

took a helicopter tour to get a better sense of the grandeur of the Grand Canyon

Recent Examples of helicopter from the Web

Two police officers were also killed when their helicopter crashed.

— amy b wang, chicagotribune.com, "Trump's science envoy quits in scathing letter with an embedded message: I-M-P-E-A-C-H," 23 Aug. 2017
Police decided to suspend the search at 10 p.m. because the K9s lost track and ALEA had to refuel its helicopter.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Gardendale felony theft suspect wanted in Florida, Louisiana," 23 Aug. 2017
On Tuesday afternoon, a National Guard helicopter sighted the two climbers at the bottom of the north face of Capitol Peak.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Country Day grad dies on Aspen hike," 23 Aug. 2017
Herman also dismissed suggestions that Trump had not heard his question due to the helicopter.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Trump Ridiculed for Three-Word Response to Devastating Naval Accident," 21 Aug. 2017
Commissary at LINE K-Town Roy Choi’s most elevated dining room takes the form of a stylish version of a greenhouse that appears as if it was plopped down on top of Koreatown’s LINE Hotel from a helicopter.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 9 Best Rooftop Bars in LA," 15 Aug. 2017
Helicopter Crash Two state police officers, Berke M.M. Bates and H. Jay Cullen also died Saturday when their helicopter crashed outside the University town.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "8 Things You Need To Know About The White Supremacy Riots In Charlottesville," 14 Aug. 2017
Later, a state police helicopter that was monitoring the protests crashed outside the city killing two: Lt.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville 'moment of unity' and Black Lives Matter rally planned Sunday following Charlottesville violence," 13 Aug. 2017
It has been cornered to at least 45% of its original size by the efforts of over 5,000 firefighters, with help from air tankers, helicopters, and bulldozers.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Man With Chainsaw Injured at Least Five in Switzerland Attack," 24 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'helicopter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of helicopter

French hélicoptère, from Greek heliko- + pteron wing — more at feather

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1887

See Words from the same year

helicopter Synonyms

Synonyms

chopper, copter, eggbeater, helo, whirlybird

Related Words

rotary-wing aircraft, rotorcraft; autogiro (or autogyro), convertiplane (or convertaplane), gyroplane, tilt-rotor; slick [slang]

helicopter

verb

Definition of helicopter

intransitive verb

:to travel by helicopter

transitive verb

:to transport by helicopter

Recent Examples of helicopter from the Web

CALL Todd Frazier's bat slipped out of his hands on a swing in the eighth and helicoptered past Mets third baseman Wilmer Flores.

— USA TODAY, "Gray outpitches deGrom, leads Yankees over Mets 5-4," 15 Aug. 2017
Also included in the app are Kia’s My Car Zone features, including curfew, speed alerts, and geofencing capabilities, which ought to help helicopter parents keep tabs on their offspring.

— andrew wendler, Car and Driver, "2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid," 11 Aug. 2017
The 41-year-old actress and Elba were helicoptered to the peak of the Canadian Rockies every day while shooting the romantic thriller.

— yvonne juris, PEOPLE.com, "Twenty Years Later, Kate Winslet Reveals the Lessons She Learned from Filming Titanic," 15 July 2017
After leaving this picturesque town on the rugged Sicilian hillsides, Trump helicoptered to the U.S. Naval Air Station at Sigonella on the island to board Air Force One for the flight home.

— philip rucker, Washington Post, "Trump fails to commit to Paris climate agreement as he concludes first overseas trip," 27 May 2017
But in the zero gravity era, going to space will be no more dramatic than helicoptering out to an offshore oil rig.

— charles fishman, Smithsonian, "The Future of Zero-Gravity Living Is Here," 25 May 2017
On the afternoon of April 8, 2006, American soldiers helicoptered into Yusufiyah, a town outside Baghdad.

— adam davidson, The New Yorker, "Michael Flynn, General Chaos," 27 Feb. 2017