UFO

noun

ˌyü-(ˌ)ef-ˈō How to pronounce UFO (audio)
ˈyü-(ˌ)fō
plural UFO's or UFOs ˌyü-(ˌ)ef-ˈōz How to pronounce UFO (audio)
ˈyü-(ˌ)fōz
: a mysterious flying object in the sky that is sometimes assumed to be a spaceship from another planet : unidentified flying object
"All right." The President sighed. "Is there anybody around this table who thinks UFOs and this signal from Vega have anything to do with each other?"Carl Sagan
In 1966, the first UFO "abduction" was described in journalist John G. Fuller's book The Interrupted Journey.Keay Davidson

called also UAP, unidentified aerial phenomenon, unidentified anomalous phenomenon

Examples of UFO in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The incident generated media attention and discussions within the UFO community. The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 In addition to his allegations about a UFO retrieval program, Grusch has claimed that Mussolini and the Vatican once worked together to recover an alien ship and that UFOs may be evidence of interdimensional beings or time travelers. Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge has long enjoyed a parallel career as an author, filmmaker and UFO researcher/activist, and his next endeavor away from the stage taps into those paranormal vibes. Spin Staff, SPIN, 28 Feb. 2024 This may include claims of UFO sightings or encounters with aliens, which are then claimed to be dismissed or suppressed by official channels. Mark Travers, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 The event will feature producers including Ben UFO, Chloé Robinson, Daphni b2b Floating Points, Salute, Avalon Emerson and multiple sets from Four Tet himself. Katie Bain, Billboard, 16 Feb. 2024 On the sides of buildings, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ face and jersey compete with a poster of magician David Blaine, which also includes a UFO and a frighteningly detailed T-Rex. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 Believe it or not, the region has a rich UFO history. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 24 Jan. 2024 But Kirkpatrick chalks all the UFO hoopla up to a top secret government program not to reverse-engineer alien ships, but to manufacture high-altitude metallic spy balloons. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

unidentified flying object

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of UFO was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near UFO

Cite this Entry

“UFO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/UFO. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plural UFO's or UFOs -ˈōz How to pronounce UFO (audio)
: an unidentified flying object
especially : flying saucer

More from Merriam-Webster on UFO

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