: the structure of an aircraft, rocket vehicle, or missile without the power plant
also
: aircraft
Examples of airframe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This multifaceted approach demonstrates how innovative airframe technology can accelerate the industry’s shift toward cleaner travel.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
China currently controls close to 90 percent of the global commercial drone market, and manufactures most of the key hardware used to build them – airframes, batteries, radios, cameras and screens, according to market research firm Drone Industry Insights UG.
—David Jeans, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Composites enhance aerodynamics and fatigue resistance, a reason why they’re used in modern airframes like Boeing’s 787 (50 percent of the main structure) and Airbus’s A350 (53 percent).
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2025
Effectively, Beyond has designed a new 10-seat business jet airframe around a battery-free hydrogen-electric propulsion system.
—New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airframe
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
China currently controls close to 90 percent of the global commercial drone market, and manufactures most of the key hardware used to build them – airframes, batteries, radios, cameras and screens, according to market research firm Drone Industry Insights UG.
—David Jeans, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Composites enhance aerodynamics and fatigue resistance, a reason why they’re used in modern airframes like Boeing’s 787 (50 percent of the main structure) and Airbus’s A350 (53 percent).
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2025
Effectively, Beyond has designed a new 10-seat business jet airframe around a battery-free hydrogen-electric propulsion system.
—New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airframe
Cite this Entry
“Airframe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airframe. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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airframe
noun
air·frame
ˈa(ə)r-ˌfrām 
ˈe(ə)r-
: the structure of an aircraft, rocket vehicle, or missile without the engine and related parts
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