UFO

noun

ˌyü-(ˌ)ef-ˈō How to pronounce UFO (audio)
ˈyü-(ˌ)fō
plural UFO's or UFOs ˌyü-(ˌ)ef-ˈōz How to pronounce UFO (audio)
ˈyü-(ˌ)fōz
: a mysterious flying object in the sky that is sometimes assumed to be a spaceship from another planet : unidentified flying object
"All right." The President sighed. "Is there anybody around this table who thinks UFOs and this signal from Vega have anything to do with each other?"Carl Sagan
In 1966, the first UFO "abduction" was described in journalist John G. Fuller's book The Interrupted Journey.Keay Davidson

called also UAP, unidentified aerial phenomenon, unidentified anomalous phenomenon

Examples of UFO in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Prior to the series launch, Manga Productions also released the game UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves in MENA in cooperation with the French company Microids. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 June 2025 Featuring kicky period tunes and fantastic production design, the film stars Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson and others as parents of talented kids who gather for a science convention and are quarantined by the government when a UFO shows up. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 June 2025 Trump vows greater transparency President Donald Trump has famously been a UFO skeptic. Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 4 June 2025 Over the course of Steven Spielberg's movie, UFO sightings, toys coming to life, and visions of Devils Tower in Wyoming (subsequently recreated in mashed potato) gradually evolve into something more spectacular. Richard Edwards, Space.com, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for UFO

Word History

Etymology

unidentified flying object

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of UFO was in 1953

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Cite this Entry

“UFO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/UFO. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

plural UFO's or UFOs -ˈōz How to pronounce UFO (audio)
: an unidentified flying object
especially : flying saucer

More from Merriam-Webster on UFO

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