unidentified flying object

noun

plural unidentified flying objects
: a mysterious flying object in the sky that is sometimes assumed to be a spaceship from another planet : UFO
Three unidentified flying objects shot down from North American airspace could turn out to be balloons used for research or commercial purposes that posed no direct threat to the U.S., a White House spokesman said Tuesday.Candy Woodall et al.

called also UAP, unidentified aerial phenomenon, unidentified anomalous phenomenon

Examples of unidentified flying object in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1976: Two F-4 Phantom II jets of the Imperial Iranian Air Force encountered an unidentified flying object over Tehran. Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 20 Sep. 2024 Their findings lead them to uncover a conspiracy, and, most intriguingly, reports of an unidentified flying object. Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 22 June 2024 No credible evidence exists that U.S. authorities covered up extraterrestrial life, in the form of unidentified flying objects, even if some Americans firmly believe in UFOs, a Pentagon report said Friday. David K. Li, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024 But over the last few decades, as science and mass media have expanded, the obsession with unidentified flying objects and possible extraterrestrial life has exploded. Kelsey Klimara, ABC News, 19 Jan. 2024 Earlier today, three witnesses came before Congress to testify about their experiences with unidentified flying objects. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 26 July 2023 Reports like this of unidentified flying objects in the 1950s and 1960s fueled controversy and attention for Area 51. Christopher Nichols, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2023 The United States military is capable of many things, but finding the remnants of an unidentified flying object scattered across a blinding expanse of Arctic ice in minus-30-degree weather using six available hours of daylight is not one of them. Katie Rogers, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2023 Headlines report the sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs/UAPs). Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unidentified flying object was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near unidentified flying object

Cite this Entry

“Unidentified flying object.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unidentified%20flying%20object. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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