airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈer-ˌbȯrn 

1

: done or being in the air : being off the ground: such as

a

: carried through the air (as by an aircraft)

b

: supported especially by aerodynamic forces or propelled through the air by force

a plane becoming airborne

c

: transported or carried by the air

airborne allergens

2

: trained for deployment by air and especially by parachute

airborne troops

Examples of airborne in a Sentence

Once the plane was airborne I loosened my seat belt.

Thousands of airborne troops parachuted behind enemy lines.

Recent Examples on the Web

Footage from a high-speed chase in Wisconsin earlier this month shows the fleeing driver going airborne and jumping his car over another. —Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026

All 11 passengers and the pilot survived and were rescued by an Air Force helicopter that was airborne in the area. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 16 May 2026

Human-to-human transmission appears limited, close-contact dependent, and far less efficient than airborne respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 or measles. —Steve Brozak, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

Second, Andes hantavirus is harder to spread from person to person and usually requires close contact to do so, although airborne spread can’t be ruled out. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for airborne

• adorn
• blackthorn
• broomcorn
• buckhorn
• buckthorn
• careworn
• firstborn
• foodborne
• forborne
• forewarn
• forlorn
• forsworn

Kids Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈa(ə)r-ˌbōrn 

-ˌbȯrn, 

ˈe(ə)r-

: supported or transported by air

airborne troops

Medical Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne -ˌbōrn 

: carried or transported by the air

airborne allergens

airborne bacteria