lighter-than-air
Americanadjective
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(of an aircraft) weighing less than the air it displaces, hence obtaining lift from aerostatic buoyancy.
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of or relating to lighter-than-air craft.
adjective
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having a lower density than that of air
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of or relating to an aircraft, such as a balloon or airship, that depends on buoyancy for support in the air
Etymology
Origin of lighter-than-air
First recorded in 1900–05
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.
For one thing, the ship gets its lift from helium – a lighter-than-air gas that does not burn.
From NewsForKids.net • Dec. 7, 2023
Beijing also reportedly test-fired a new hypersonic missile from a floating airship in 2018, highlighting the military’s interest and multiple uses for lighter-than-air aircraft.
From Washington Times • Feb. 6, 2023
ZeroAvia instead chose fuel cells, which are essentially a chemical battery that substitutes lighter-than-air hydrogen for the weighty lithium ion.
From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2021
Boland — who had over 11,000 hours piloting balloons — was a forerunner of experimental lighter-than-air balloon building.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2021
I should expect its first really practical installation to be in lighter-than-air craft.”
From The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928 by Meyer, Robert B.
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.
