airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈer-ˌbȯrn How to pronounce airborne (audio)
1
: done or being in the air : being off the ground: such as
a
: carried through the air (as by an aircraft)
b
: supported especially by aerodynamic forces or propelled through the air by force
a plane becoming airborne
c
: transported or carried by the air
airborne allergens
2
: trained for deployment by air and especially by parachute
airborne troops

Examples of airborne in a Sentence

Once the plane was airborne I loosened my seat belt. Thousands of airborne troops parachuted behind enemy lines.
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.
Blue light can travel farther through water and scatters more strongly from tiny airborne particles. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026 The company has developed a 12-meter-long blimp powered by a hydrogen fuel cell capable of staying airborne for up to 10 hours and traveling 350 kilometers per day. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2026 Researchers also collected 12-hour baseline air measurements in participants’ bedrooms and used micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify the size and chemical composition of airborne particles. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026 And a study published September isolated the most problematic pollutants by exposing mice to different airborne particles for five hours and then examining their brains. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for airborne

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of airborne was in 1637

Rhymes for airborne

See All Rhymes for airborne

Browse Nearby Words

airboat
airborne
air boss
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Airborne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airborne. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

airborne

adjective
air·​borne ˈa(ə)r-ˌbōrn How to pronounce airborne (audio)
-ˌbȯrn, 
ˈe(ə)r-
: supported or transported by air
airborne troops

Medical Definition

airborne

adjective
air·​borne -ˌbōrn How to pronounce airborne (audio)
: carried or transported by the air
airborne allergens
airborne bacteria
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