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
Don’t let airborne pollen deter you from gardening; there are many strategies for lessening the impact of seasonal allergies.
—
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2025
Workers and others in the area are exposed to airborne particles containing crystalline silica, which result from cutting and chiseling stone, and can lead to fatal diseases like silicosis and lung cancer.
—Meara Sharma, The Dial, 22 July 2025
And on June 1, a Ukrainian drone operation damaged or destroyed as many as 30 bombers and airborne command-and-control aircraft deep within Russian territory, including planes that can carry cruise missiles.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2025
That anxiety metastasized into an existential terror, as political rhetoric became another kind of highly transmissible, airborne virus.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for airborne
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Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 July 2025
Workers and others in the area are exposed to airborne particles containing crystalline silica, which result from cutting and chiseling stone, and can lead to fatal diseases like silicosis and lung cancer.
—Meara Sharma, The Dial, 22 July 2025
And on June 1, a Ukrainian drone operation damaged or destroyed as many as 30 bombers and airborne command-and-control aircraft deep within Russian territory, including planes that can carry cruise missiles.
—Carter Malkasian, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2025
That anxiety metastasized into an existential terror, as political rhetoric became another kind of highly transmissible, airborne virus.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for airborne
Cite this Entry
“Airborne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airborne. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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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