airborne

adjective
air·​borne | \ -ˌbȯrn How to pronounce airborne (audio) \

Definition of airborne

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

The vehicle went airborne and then plummeted to Sardis Road below. Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "4 killed in 3 separate weekend traffic crashes in Jefferson County," 29 July 2019 Megan was stopped at an intersection in Washington County when a distracted driver hit a ditch, went airborne and struck her car. Christopher Magan, Twin Cities, "Hands-free driving law in effect Thursday, but does it go far enough?," 27 July 2019 Sutton went airborne to snatch the pass with both hands. Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "Lessons learned: Broncos’ Courtland Sutton intends to apply rookie year experience to become elite in 2019," 21 July 2019 When the kamikazes went airborne on that October morning in 1944, Art Tooze was the gunner’s mate at a twin 40 mm on the starboard side of the USS Fanshaw Bay. oregonlive.com, "The back story on Independence Day: Steve Duin," 28 June 2019 Jet skiing and water skiing should be avoided, because cyanotoxins can become airborne when water is kicked up, which can trigger breathing difficulties. Megan Becka, cleveland.com, "Health advisory issued for harmful algal bloom in Springfield Lake near Akron," 26 July 2019 O’Neill suffered a forearm injury from the knife, which became airborne after Logan was shot, authorities said. Bill Ruthhart, chicagotribune.com, "After white cop kills black suspect, Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg tries to navigate fallout in South Bend," 21 June 2019 Its high pitch and the landing light’s downward angle when airborne limited the illumination of the ground at first, but then the jet’s bank and proximity allowed the crew to see the grass. Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, "After a loud buzzing, T-38 crew in Del Rio had seconds to act," 17 June 2019 The plane became airborne again and, less than a second later, Graziano ordered them to eject. Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, "After a loud buzzing, T-38 crew in Del Rio had seconds to act," 17 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'airborne.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of airborne

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for airborne

airborne

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of airborne

: in the air : moving or being carried through the air
of soldiers : specially trained to jump from airplanes into enemy territory for battle also : of or relating to airborne soldiers

airborne

adjective
air·​borne | \ ˈer-ˌbȯrn How to pronounce airborne (audio) \

Kids Definition of airborne

: moving through the air airborne dust particles The plane was airborne.

airborne

adjective
air·​borne | \ -ˌbōrn How to pronounce airborne (audio) \

Medical Definition of airborne

: carried or transported by the air airborne allergens airborne bacteria

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