aviation
Americannoun
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the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.
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military aircraft.
noun
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the art or science of flying aircraft
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the design, production, and maintenance of aircraft
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military aircraft collectively
Other Word Forms
- aviatic adjective
Etymology
Origin of aviation
From French, dating back to 1865–70; see origin at avi-, -ation
Explanation
If it has to do with flying or operating a plane, it has to do with aviation. If someone tells you that he's in aviation school, that means he is learning how to fly a plane. Aviation comes from the Latin avis meaning "bird," an appropriate translation given that aviation deals with travel by air, specifically in a plane. The aviation industry is the business sector dedicated to manufacturing and operating all types of aircraft. Air traffic controllers, when they are awake, are concerned with aviation safety.
Vocabulary lists containing aviation
Flying High: Aviation Words
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The Cay
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November Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its Reach for the Sky festival, the aviation and aerospace festival for girls, has been held for the last three years at Spaceport Cornwall, the £20m centre for space and aeronautics near Newquay.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
SYDNEY—Australia’s Qantas QAN -0.83%decrease; red down pointing triangle Airways said its near-term jet fuel bill would be up to 32% more than previously anticipated, as the Iran conflict hits profitability in global aviation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
“It seems unlikely that industry rivals, consumer groups and antitrust authorities would simply go along with this,” said Stephen Trent, an independent aviation analyst.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
“There’s a lot of amazing things going on in aviation and space, and a lot of it happening in California,” the executive said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Lera, in parachute and aviation googles, is smiling broadly, and the caption beneath the photo says that “she is now a fighter pilot” who had shot down a Luftwaffe bomber.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
