fairing

1 of 2

noun (1)

fair·​ing ˈfer-iŋ How to pronounce fairing (audio)
1
British
a
: a present bought or given at a fair
b
: gift
2

fairing

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a member or structure whose primary function is to produce a smooth outline and to reduce drag (as on an airplane)

Examples of fairing in a Sentence

Noun (1) business takes him to all corners of the globe, but he never fails to bring back fairings for the family back in London
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
The huge amounts of space junk in orbit, ranging from nuts and bolts to rocket fairings and dead satellites, pose a serious hazard to satellites and the International Space Station, which has to regularly take evasive action to dodge space shrapnel, much of which is moving faster than a bullet. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025 One example is an innovative reusable captive ‘Hungry Hippo’ fairing that stays attached to Neutron’s first stage. Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025 In 2024, the company saw through more than 130 flights of its workhorse medium-lift Falcon 9, which reuses its first-stage booster and payload fairings. Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2025 Boeing’s uncrewed spacecraft fits in normal rocket fairings, or nosecones, and has flown five times on United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets, once on SpaceX Falcon 9 and once on Falcon Heavy. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025 The Space Force has only acknowledged one of the satellites aboard the USSF-106 mission, but there are more payloads cocooned inside the Vulcan rocket's fairing. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2025 Shillitoe's Kejashi system, which sounds Japanese but is just a nod do his own name KEnt JAmes SHIllitoe, disconnects the forks and handlebars from the normal steering head, and mounts them on a trailing arm coming back from a point well out in front of the fairing. Loz Blain august 04, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2025 Most dramatically, a standard set of headrest fairings swell like ocean waves behind occupants. Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2025 The prototype that Sarcos demonstrated had all of the functionality of the version that will ship in January, but latter models will include plastic fairings over the suit as well as quick-change end-effectors. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Dec. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

fair entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fairing was in 1574

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Cite this Entry

“Fairing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairing. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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