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

That year’s Cadillac Eldorado took jet-age styling to the extreme, with rear fenders like fuselages, chrome bumpers sculpted into afterburners, and razor-sharp fins topped by dual-bullet taillights. —Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 27 Feb. 2025

Images taken after the crash clearly show the right wing cleanly snapped off the fuselage, while the right landing gear is ripped off the plane. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Feb. 2025

By Tuesday afternoon, the plane wreckage was barely recognizable, camouflaged against the ground by snow plastered across the frozen fuselage, its left wing crumpled and right wing missing. —Andy Rose, CNN, 18 Feb. 2025

The two bodies were found charred in the fuselage of the Beech F90 King Air aircraft that took off from Sao Paulo bound for the city of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, according to local authorities. —Eduardo Simoes and Isabel Teles, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 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