airspeed

noun

air·​speed ˈer-ˌspēd How to pronounce airspeed (audio)
: the speed (as of an airplane) with relation to the air compare ground speed

Examples of airspeed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One is adequate airspeed and the other one is a rate of climb. Hannah Parry barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025 In 1976, a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird set an airspeed record of 2,193 mph, which has also never been bettered. Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 27 Apr. 2025 Many technologies have had phases where customers eagerly embrace every improvement in some parameter—until a saturation point is reached and improvements are ultimately met with a collective shrug. Consider a very brief history of airspeed in commercial air travel. IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025 Passenger aircraft today fly at around 900 kilometers per hour—and have continued to traverse the skies at the same airspeed range for the past five decades. IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for airspeed

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of airspeed was in 1909

Cite this Entry

“Airspeed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airspeed. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

airspeed

noun
air·​speed -ˌspēd How to pronounce airspeed (audio)
: the speed of an airplane according to measurements of the surrounding air rather than of the ground below
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