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

On Wednesday, the evening before they were set to dock, the mood seemed far more jovial aboard the ship; sailors were chatting and laughing, some were running a 5K around a deck now free of aircraft. — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026

Smith was working aboard a REACH medical helicopter when the aircraft crashed. — Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

The exercise is designed not simply to test individual units, but to examine how ships, aircraft, submarines, commandos and specialist forces can operate as a coordinated multinational force. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026

In September, a Russian frigate off the coast of Denmark fired two flares at a Danish military helicopter, one of which came dangerously close to hitting the aircraft. — Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aircraft

• aircraft carrier
• rotary-wing aircraft

Rhymes for aircraft

• abaft
• camshaft
• crankshaft
• downdraft
• engraft
• priestcraft
• redraft
• schoolcraft
• spacecraft
• stagecraft
• statecraft
• updraft

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