1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

helicopters 1 of 2

noun

plural of helicopter
as in choppers
a vehicle for traveling through the air that obtains its lift from rotors which spin horizontally took a helicopter tour to get a better sense of the grandeur of the Grand Canyon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

helicopters

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of helicopter
as in jets

Related Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of helicopters
Noun
Tammy Rose, a longtime journalist for more than 20 years, was at KPNX in Phoenix in 2007 when the two television helicopters collided and has survived some harrowing incidents. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 But the nature of the work in both news and police helicopters increases their risk, Anthony said. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 Several television news helicopters had already been in the area reporting on a crash involving a Los Angeles Metro bus and a passenger vehicle, KNBC-TV and The Los Angeles Times reported. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026 Getting such shots often requires helicopters to squeeze into relatively tight airspace, adding to the risk. — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026 Dozens of aircraft have been damaged or destroyed, including four F-15E fighter jets, an F-35A, seven KC-135 refueling aircraft, seven helicopters and more than 30 drones. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026 In summer, those same helicopters can whisk you to a remote stream or high mountain lake to fly-fish for trout, or a mountaintop for yoga and meditation. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026 About 110 fire personnel are on scene, including 19 engines, five water tenders and two helicopters. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helicopters
  1. choppers
  2. jets
  3. rockets
  4. catapults
  5. orbits
Noun
  • Throughout Friday, choppers took off and landing constantly from the Trishuli barracks.
    — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Out back, a custom stainless steel exhaust pipe rises vertically right next to the sissy bar, echoing classic vintage choppers.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of choppers
Verb
  • The President frequently jets down to his Palm Beach property on weekends.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
  • Instead of Paris this time, the film jets off to another fabulous destination besides New York — Milan — for a huge fashion expo where Lady Gaga gets to perform and even exchange swipes with Miranda.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of jets
Verb
  • And the joy in the swanky dining room rockets up whenever somebody orders the Cacio e Pepe, which is mixed in a big cheese wheel, or the New York Steak, which a server sets ablaze before slicing with a flaming knife.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Following Parton’s death, the collection rockets all the way to first place with only a few days of solid tracking activity behind its ascent.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of rockets
Verb
  • The stark white tip offers an especially bright touch that catapults the design into mod-era loveliness.
    — Odeya Pinkus, InStyle, 17 Aug. 2026
  • For a few years now, there’s been at least one young Western Conference team that catapults up the standings from the lottery more dramatically than anyone predicts.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Definition of catapults
Verb
  • Cancri e is a super-Earth that orbits its host star every 18 hours, and could be covered by a magma ocean.
    — Alix Freckelton, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The new definition of a planet, according to Nat Geo, is an object that orbits the Sun, is large enough to have become round (due to the force of its own gravity) and dominates the neighborhood around its orbit.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of orbits

Browse Nearby Words

helicoptering
helicopters
helipad
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Helicopters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helicopters. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All