UAP

abbreviation or noun

ˌyü-ˌā-ˈpē 

plural UAP or UAPs

: unidentified aerial phenomenon, unidentified anomalous phenomenon

—used especially as an alternative to UFO or unidentified flying object

… UFO has been replaced by UAP. Scientists and government officials are using the new acronym in an attempt to get away from the stigma and assumptions of little green men that persist when people think of UFOs. Until recently, UAP stood for "unidentified aerial phenomena," but last year's National Defense Authorization Act tweaked the term to stand for "unidentified anomalous phenomena," a broader catch-all category.

—Cameron Joseph

UAP—unidentified aerial (or anomalous) phenomenon—is apparently now preferred over UFO, or unidentified flying object. Assertions have been made that people associate "UFO" with alien visitors, whereas the new "UAP" terminology can be more readily associated with additional phenomena, perhaps swamp gas.

—Matthew J. Sharps

Since 2017, my life has been dominated by efforts to help Congress and the public discover the truth about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), what many still refer to as UFOs.

—Christopher Mellon

Yet given the growing public clamor (and congressional clamor, for that matter) for information about UFOs, NASA felt compelled to provide the public with some answers. Consequently on Monday the federal agency launched a new study with 16 members for the purpose of determining the best way for NASA to further study what the scientists refer to as "UAPs" (unidentified aerial phenomena).

—salon.com

Examples of UAP in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Among those interviewed are Jay Stratton, a former Defense Intelligence Agency official and director of the government’s UAP Task Force, and Lue Elizondo, a former Department of Defense official and member of the government’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP). —Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

However, as what Administrator Bill Nelson said was a signal of the agency's transparency, NASA appointed a director of UAP research. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024

Well, Schumer has very aggressively fought for disclosure on the UAP topic. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2025

Many agents on the UAP Working Group also worked on the investigations into the January 6, Politico reports. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above