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

The design also placed the engines in the tail, which reduced turbulence from the fuselage. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2025

Divers found the two other victims inside the fuselage of the aircraft between 6:30 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2025

There are also plans for a turbogenerator in the rear fuselage to provide an additional 45 minute power reserve, should it be needed. —Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025

The burning fuselage of the plane, which was from the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was spotted on the ground by a helicopter and rescue crews were rushing to the scene. —Reuters, USA Today, 24 July 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

Rhymes for fuselage

• auge
• hodge
• podge
• dislodge
• hodgepodge

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