quadcopter

noun

quad·cop·ter ˈkwäd-ˌkäp-tər

plural quadcopters

: a drone (see drone entry 1 sense 2) deriving lift from four separate rotors each oriented about a vertical axis : quadrotor

It's a quadcopter, meaning it's a miniature helicopter with four rotors; basically it looks like a giant four-leaf clover designed by Darth Vader.—

Lev Grossman

A remote control quadcopter-type model helicopter flew directly through the U.S. Coast Guard base at the Arcata-Eureka Airport in McKinleyville on Saturday afternoon …—

Eureka Times Standard (California)

Examples of quadcopter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Along with quadcopters’ rapid ascent in popularity, their capabilities have been just as fast to advance. —

Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 28 Aug. 2023 The drones used in the demonstration look like normal quadcopters but with an extra component (a plug or jack). —

Charlotte Hu, Popular Science, 23 Aug. 2023 Few bits of consumer tech have caught on more quickly than drones—also referred to as quadcopters or quads. —

Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 28 Aug. 2023 The sturdy all-weather quadcopters are built to carry payloads of nearly 70 pounds and are designed to glide at treetop level trailing a fog of liquid chemicals. —

Joby Warrick, Anchorage Daily News, 19 July 2023 Recent reports show that the Ukrainians are losing 10,000 drones per month, although most of these are cheaper hobbyist quadcopters. —

Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 16 July 2023 Ukraine’s use of a quadcopter UAV—a class of drone known for its short range—indicates that the attacks almost certainly originated from agents in Russia positioned a relatively short distance from the airbase. —

Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 24 Aug. 2023 In addition, the powerful motors allow FPVs to carry a serious bomb load—perhaps twice as much as a standard quadcopter, enough to carry an effective anti-tank warhead. —

David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 7 June 2023 These small quadcopters help to fill a gap between larger military drones and soldiers in the field. —

Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 24 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quadcopter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.