aircraft

[air-kraft, -krahft]

noun

plural

aircraft 

1. any machine supported for flight in the air by buoyancy or by the dynamic action of air on its surfaces, especially powered airplanes, gliders, and helicopters.

aircraft

/ ˈɛəˌkrɑːft /

noun

1. any machine capable of flying by means of buoyancy or aerodynamic forces, such as a glider, helicopter, or aeroplane

Word History and Origins

Origin of aircraft¹

First recorded in 1840–50; air ¹ + craft

Example Sentences

Late on Thursday, the defence department accused two Venezuelan military aircraft of flying near a US vessel in a "highly provocative move designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations".

From BBC

But the UK's Civil Aviation Authority has played down the significance of GPS jamming, says aircrafts' navigation systems do not rely solely on GPS and so interference should not affect their direct navigation.

From BBC

The move to proscribe Palestine Action was taken after activists broke into an RAF base and damaged two military aircraft.

From BBC

The US Navy is unrivalled in the world with the largest fleet of aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups - China still lags behind on that count.

From BBC

The aircraft can manipulate weather to trigger rain through cloud-seeding one or two days in advance, to make sure it's clear afterwards.

From BBC

Related Words

• airliner 
• balloon 
• chopper 
• helicopter 
• jet