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

The aircraft was located 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) from Israel, the air force said. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025

By then, Kyiv had received some Patriot systems and already succeeded in shooting down some of Russia’s most advanced missiles and aircraft. —Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025

Wait times for popular new aircraft models already stretch into the next decade with demand still strong. —Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 15 June 2025

By Phase Three, the goal will be to install the relays in conventional aircraft that will be able to deliver 10 kW of optical energy across 125 miles (200 km). —New Atlas, 15 June 2025

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