: the structure of an aircraft, rocket vehicle, or missile without the power plant
also
: aircraft
Examples of airframe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The rest of the booster, including the main airframe and propellant tanks, will still be expended.
—
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 June 2024
Uber Elevate soon assembled potential players including budding airframe builders, airline companies, auto makers and transport service providers, as well as potential financiers and operators of new vertiports—airports for vertical-lift aircraft.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 14 June 2024
Extensive and rigorous testing of the fuselage and heavy maintenance checks of nearly 700 in-service airplanes to date have found zero evidence of airframe fatigue.
—Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 18 June 2024
That’s why nearly all air taxi designs feature lightweight carbon-composite airframes.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for airframe 
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 June 2024
Uber Elevate soon assembled potential players including budding airframe builders, airline companies, auto makers and transport service providers, as well as potential financiers and operators of new vertiports—airports for vertical-lift aircraft.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 14 June 2024
Extensive and rigorous testing of the fuselage and heavy maintenance checks of nearly 700 in-service airplanes to date have found zero evidence of airframe fatigue.
—Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 18 June 2024
That’s why nearly all air taxi designs feature lightweight carbon-composite airframes.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for airframe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'airframe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near airframe
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“Airframe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airframe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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airframe
noun
air·frame
ˈa(ə)r-ˌfrām 
ˈe(ə)r-
: the structure of an aircraft, rocket vehicle, or missile without the engine and related parts
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