contrail

noun

con·​trail ˈkän-ˌtrāl How to pronounce contrail (audio)
: streaks of condensed water vapor created in the air by an airplane or rocket at high altitudes

Examples of contrail 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.
By burning cleaner, these fuels also reduce non-CO2 impacts like contrail formation, significantly reducing aviation’s climate footprint. Phil De Luna, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 Gradually, my life became sumptuary and monastic, but this was more or less a survival tactic, since my own bouts of addiction had, throughout my twenties, left me with a contrail of two suicide attempts. Barrett Swanson, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025 The chemtrail theory is the belief that the government is secretly adding toxic chemicals to the atmosphere from aircrafts, similar to contrails. Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 20 Mar. 2024 Furthermore, contrails would be a poor choice for climate intervention, said Dave Fahey, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chemical sciences laboratory. Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 20 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for contrail

Word History

Etymology

condensation trail

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of contrail was in 1943

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contrail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrail. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

contrail

noun
con·​trail ˈkän-ˌtrāl How to pronounce contrail (audio)
: a stream of visible water or ice particles created in the air by an airplane or rocket at high altitudes

More from Merriam-Webster on contrail

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