aircraft

noun

air·​craft ˈer-ˌkraft 

plural aircraft

often attributive

: a vehicle (such as an airplane or balloon) for traveling through the air

Examples of aircraft in a Sentence

a company that manufactures aircraft

Recent Examples on the Web

White icicle lights crisscrossed from decorative truss towers will be on the carrier’s flight deck and nearly a dozen of Midway’s aircraft will be wrapped in holiday lights. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2023

South Korea resumed the use of crewed and uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft in the border area on Wednesday, and was conducting surveillance, Yonhap news agency reported. —Reuters, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023

The skydiver, Nicolas Galy, 40, jumped out of the aircraft flown by the pilot in July 2018 and was struck moments later. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023

The family-friendly Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome museum houses an antique aircraft dating back to World War I, plus visitors can attend one of its impressive air shows on summer and fall weekends. —Wendy O’Dea, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023

The plane involved was a Boeing P8 Poseidon, which is described as a military surveillance and patrol aircraft, according to officials. —Stepheny Price, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2023

In his first public appearance as the FAA’s new administrator, Michael Whitaker said this week the agency is expanding the number of routes available to commercial aircraft, including those generally reserved for military use. —Lori Aratani, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023

Air travel was disrupted for almost three months after the volcano belched out an enormous ash cloud that proved dangerous to aircrafts. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023

The United States military had designed and produced a wide variety of aircrafts—as one of the most respected and decorated airmen in the Army Air Forces, Blanchard knew this for sure—but this definitely wasn’t one of them. —WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aircraft

• aircraft carrier
• rotary-wing aircraft

• aircraft carrier
• rotary-wing aircraft

Kids Definition

aircraft

noun

air·​craft ˈa(ə)r-ˌkraft 

ˈe(ə)r-

plural aircraft

: a machine (as an airplane, glider, or helicopter) that can travel through the air and that is supported either by its own buoyancy or by the action of the air against its surfaces