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Synonyms

helicopter

American  
[hel-i-kop-ter, hee-li-] / ˈhɛl ɪˌkɒp tər, ˈhi lɪ- /

noun

  1. any of a class of heavier-than-air craft that are lifted and sustained in the air horizontally by rotating wings or blades turning on vertical axes through power supplied by an engine.

verb (used without object)

  1. to fly in a helicopter.

verb (used with object)

  1. to convey in a helicopter.

helicopter British  
/ ˈhɛlɪˌkɒptə /

noun

  1. an aircraft capable of hover, vertical flight, and horizontal flight in any direction. Most get all of their lift and propulsion from the rotation of overhead blades See also autogiro

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to transport (people or things) or (of people or things) to be transported by helicopter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of helicopter

From the French word hélicoptère, dating back to 1885–90. See helico-, -pter

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.

She criticizes helicopter parenting, decries remote work and tells women they should be willing to “piss people off” in order to be good leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The pilots of an Apache attack helicopter were suspended this week after doing a flyby of Kid Rock’s home in Tennessee.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Airbus is also working on an unmanned version of the H145 helicopter, known as the Lakota in the United States, for the US Navy, a major customer for the conventional model.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The incident is the latest fatal crash in Kauai involving a tour helicopter.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Nanuq was back, and they had fired their last cracker shell trying to signal a helicopter that wasn’t coming.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

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.