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helicopter

helicopter

759 2.5
A flying machine with turning blades that can hover and take off straight up
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛlɪˌkɒptər/
translation icon : helicóptero
  • During the rescue operation, a helicopter was dispatched to airlift injured hikers from the remote trail.
  • helicopter pilot
  • a helicopter ride
  • attack helicopter

A Recon team gets on the helicopter Spike Team Idaho.

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Examples

  • The rotating wings of a helicopter are directly driven by the engine, enabling it to hover.

    Academic text (2008)
  • My dad was a helicopter pilot captain in the US Army.

  • OK, well, my helicopter is larger than yours.

  • Send a helicopter to the roof as fast as possible.

  • China does not allow any helicopter use for tourism in Tibet.

  • The Munro launched its own helicopter to pick up more survivors.

    Academic text (2011)
  • A police and coast guard search operation involving a helicopter... has been halted due to fog.

  • Helicopter is inbound to the evac point.

  • Then the SEALs boarded another helicopter and vanished into the night.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The edges of the sky disappear as the helicopter's gray mass fills the frame.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

aircraft
vshelicopter
818 2.5

A machine that flies like an airplane or helicopter

is the narrower class that specifically uses rotating overhead blades
chopper
vshelicopter
  • Slang
204 3.9

A machine with large top blades that flies and carries people

is the technical standard term rather than a casual variant
helo
vshelicopter
  • Jargon
27 8.1

A helicopter that carries people or supplies, often used by the military

is the neutral general term used across contexts
copter
vshelicopter
  • Informal
21 3.9

A short informal word for a helicopter that flies using turning blades

is the neutral or formal term rather than the informal name
heli
vshelicopter
  • Informal
3 8.5

A short word for a helicopter, a flying machine with spinning blades

is the standard full term rather than the short informal form
whirlybird
vshelicopter
  • Slang
2 9.1

A helicopter that flies using spinning blades

is the ordinary technical name not the playful informal label
rotorcraft
vshelicopter
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A flying machine lifted and moved by spinning blades like a helicopter

is the specific type that also allows vertical takeoff and landing
eggbeater
vshelicopter
  • Slang
8.9

A flying machine that uses spinning blades above it to lift and move

is the normal technical term rather than the humorous slang

Compounds

A helicopter for carrying goods or supplies

A helicopter that often moves people or goods back and forth between two places

A helicopter that has one main spinning blade and a tail rotor for balance

How Big

rotorcraft
  • Specialized
1 7.5
helicopter
759 2.5
light plane
1 3.7

Surface Forms

helicopter singular
helicopters plural

Etymology

Helicopter comes from two Greek parts, helix 'spiral' and pteron 'wing'. It means 'spiral wing', which fits because a helicopter's blades spin like spirals to lift and move it.