fuselage

noun

fu·​se·​lage ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh 

-zə-

: the central body portion of an aircraft designed to accommodate the crew and the passengers or cargo see airplane illustration

Examples of fuselage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Images on local media showed the plane’s fuselage and the bus on fire, with firefighters working to extinguish the blaze. —Greg Norman, Fox News, 7 Feb. 2025

Crews led by the NTSB and the US Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving have pulled significant pieces of the passenger jet from the Potomac River, including its right wing, sections of the fuselage, the cockpit and key flight systems, according to the NTSB. —Alexandra Skores, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025

Aikins, who's a part the Red Bull Air Force and a skydiver himself, modified his Cessna 182 aircraft to fit a large handlebar at the bottom of the fuselage that Manow would hold on to, and added an experimental airbrake. —New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2025

Yesterday, crews recovered the plane’s engine and fuselage from the river. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from fuselé "spindle-shaped" (from past participle of fuseler "to give the shape of a spindle to," going back to Middle French, derivative of fusel "spindle," diminutive of fus "spindle," going back to Latin fūsus, of obscure origin) + -age -age

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fuselage

noun

fu·​se·​lage ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh 

ˈfyü-zə-

: the central body portion of an airplane that holds the crew, passengers, and cargo