zeppelin

noun

zep·​pe·​lin ˈze-p(ə-)lən How to pronounce zeppelin (audio)
: a rigid airship consisting of a cylindrical trussed and covered frame supported by internal gas cells
broadly : airship

Illustration of zeppelin

Illustration of zeppelin

Examples of zeppelin in a Sentence

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.
But its military potency soon became apparent, with the Germans dropping it from zeppelins as bombs over Britain in World War I, according to a history from McGill University in Montreal. Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024 The feel is at once nautical, Old World, fantastical, and stagy, like a first-class dining room on a romance-novel zeppelin, serenely crossing the Atlantic. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 The interior of the restaurant feels at once nautical, Old World, fantastical, and stagy, like a first-class dining room on a romance-novel zeppelin. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 If this inner arrangement seems botanical, the exterior suggests a zeppelin as much as a seed. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for zeppelin 

Word History

Etymology

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zeppelin was in 1908

Dictionary Entries Near zeppelin

Cite this Entry

“Zeppelin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zeppelin. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

zeppelin

noun
zep·​pe·​lin ˈzep-(ə-)lən How to pronounce zeppelin (audio)
: a long cylindrical passenger balloon that has a metal frame and is driven through the air by engines carried on its underside

Biographical Definition

Zeppelin

biographical name

Zep·​pe·​lin ˌtse-pə-ˈlēn How to pronounce Zeppelin (audio)
ˈze-p(ə-)lən
Ferdinand (Adolf August Heinrich) 1838–1917 Graf von Zeppelin German general and aeronaut

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