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.
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 an era captivated by unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and government conspiracies, one former NASA official is cutting through the noise and casting doubt on aliens coming to Earth.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2025
Scientists have made a remarkable discovery of a sphere that some believe to be an unidentified flying object (UFO).
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2025
Who better to go searching for unidentified flying objects than a snobbish TV host and a reserved extraterrestrial enthusiast?
—Geordon Wollner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) says President Trump should declassify secret government archives about unidentified flying objects (UFOs), also known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), in the spirit of greater government transparency.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unidentified flying object
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2025
Scientists have made a remarkable discovery of a sphere that some believe to be an unidentified flying object (UFO).
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2025
Who better to go searching for unidentified flying objects than a snobbish TV host and a reserved extraterrestrial enthusiast?
—Geordon Wollner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) says President Trump should declassify secret government archives about unidentified flying objects (UFOs), also known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), in the spirit of greater government transparency.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share