Definition of lighter-than-air in US English:
lighter-than-air
adjectiveˌlīdərT͟Hənˈerˌlaɪdərðənˈɛr
attributive Relating to or denoting a balloon or other aircraft weighing less than the air it displaces, and so flying as a result of its own buoyancy.
Example sentencesExamples
- Although the days of the Zeppelins have passed, lighter-than-air craft remain in the public eye because of their use in televising sporting events.
- Helium (an inert non-flammable lighter-than-air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds.
- Before lifting off on your scientific inquiry into ballooning and lighter-than-air flight, it helps to have some background information about the history of ballooning.
- The present invention relates generally to the field of lighter-than-air ships and more particularly to a airship that uses hydrogen as a lift gas.
- Balloons and airships are lighter-than-air, and fly because they are buoyant, which is to say that the total weight of the aircraft is less than the weight of the air it displaces.