airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈer-ˌbȯrn 

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

The gas reacts with the atmosphere to create volcanic smog, known as vog, which can cause airborne health hazards for people and damage plants, according to the observatory. —Alex Sundby, CBS News, 4 June 2024

The music is largely electronic, unleashing the directness of Garcia’s voice — sometimes ghostly and airborne, sometimes a near-scream — amid programming, loops and layering. —Jon Pareles, New York Times, 3 June 2024

Los Angeles County deputy suffers minor injuries after collision sends cruiser airborne A Los Angeles County deputy suffered minor injuries on Wednesday after another vehicle struck a patrol car at an intersection and sent the cruiser flipping through the air. —Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 30 May 2024

Scale: The new discovery coincides with a 10 km x 5 km large airborne magnetic and radiometric potassic anomaly (Figures 8 and 9). —Kansas City Star, 22 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈa(ə)r-ˌbōrn 

-ˌbȯrn,

ˈe(ə)r-

: supported or transported by air

airborne troops

Medical Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne -ˌbōrn 

: carried or transported by the air

airborne allergens

airborne bacteria