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
Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter that, per the US Environmental Protection Agency, removes 99.97 percent of dust and other airborne particles.
—
Barbara Bellesi Zito, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2024
In the scene in the penultimate episode, you’re tied up as this airborne virus is slowly taking over your body.
—Jim Halterman, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
The program, called ALOFT (Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly’s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes), constitutes the most comprehensive and focused airborne surveillance of thunderstorm gamma-ray emissions yet performed.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Oct. 2024
In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for airborne 
Barbara Bellesi Zito, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2024
In the scene in the penultimate episode, you’re tied up as this airborne virus is slowly taking over your body.
—Jim Halterman, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
The program, called ALOFT (Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly’s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes), constitutes the most comprehensive and focused airborne surveillance of thunderstorm gamma-ray emissions yet performed.
—Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Oct. 2024
In these crashes, the reduced roadway visibility arose from conditions such as sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for airborne
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'airborne.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near airborne
Cite this Entry
“Airborne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airborne. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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