wind tunnel

[ wind ]

noun

, Aeronautics.

1. a tubular chamber or structure in which a steady current of air can be maintained at a controlled velocity, equipped with devices for measuring and recording forces and moments on scale models of complete aircraft or of their parts or, sometimes, on full-scale aircraft or their parts.

wind tunnel

/ wɪnd /

noun

1. a chamber for testing the aerodynamic properties of aircraft, aerofoils, etc, in which a current of air can be maintained at a constant velocity

wind tunnel

1. A chamber through which air is blown at controlled speeds to simulate the motion of objects placed in the chamber through the air, used to study the aerodynamic properties of objects such as automobiles, airplanes, and missiles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wind tunnel¹

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

In a windowless shack on the far outskirts of Fresno, an ominious red glow illuminates a lab filled with X-ray machines, shelves of glowing boxes, a quietly humming incubator and a miniature wind tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times

Stroll has already invested hundreds of millions in a state-of-the-art new factory and wind tunnel at the team’s base across the road from Silverstone Circuit, and an engineering team packed with big names.

From BBC

The Canadian billionaire has already invested hundreds of millions in a new factory, including a state-of-the-art wind tunnel, and secured a factory engine partnership with Honda from 2026.

From BBC

Often, teams are finding that the CFD says one thing, the wind tunnel another, and the car behaves differently again when it gets out on track.

From BBC

Newey is an aerodynamicist by trade, but he doesn’t just apply the physics and look at the numbers produced in wind tunnels and computer simulations.

From BBC