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Glite Dictionary
unidentified flying object

unidentified flying object

5 5.7
A flying object seen in the sky whose origin is not known and often thought to be from space
  • noun
  • /ˌʌnaɪˈdɛntɪfaɪd ˈflaɪɪŋ ˈɒbʤɛkt/
translation icon : objeto volador no identificado
  • During the night, residents saw a bright unidentified flying object moving across the sky.
  • unidentified flying object (UFO)
  • encounter with an unidentified flying object
  • reports of an unidentified flying object

So the term is a redefinition of UFO, which is unidentified flying object.

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Examples

  • Well, Houston, we seem to have an unidentified flying object.

    Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

  • Denver is a regular mystery city these days as more and more videos surface with recordings of unidentified flying objects over the city skyline.

    Blog text (30)

  • We have reports of an unidentified flying object!

    Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

  • Attention, an unidentified flying object is over the city.

    The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)

  • We have reports of an unidentified flying object.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I saw an unidentified flying object myself.

    Blog text (17)

  • Can you tell us, have unidentified flying objects been seen?

  • The Defense Department has just announced that the unidentified flying object has suddenly disappeared from our radar screen.

    Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

  • At one time in her life, she was obsessed with unidentified flying objects, aliens, and abductions.

    Blog text (27)

  • FACT: In 1989 and 1990, large triangular and rectangular unidentified flying objects, one the size of an aircraft carrier, were reported over Belgium by over 2,000 witnesses, including police and military personnel.

    Blog text (34)

Synonyms

UFO
vsunidentified flying object
186 4.4

An object in the sky that people cannot identify, often thought to come from other planets

is written in full words rather than as the abbreviation
unknown
vsunidentified flying object
41 6.1

Something you do not know or cannot identify, for example a variable in math

is a sky sight whose origin or nature cannot be identified
flying saucer
vsunidentified flying object
  • Archaic
15 5.6

A round flat object in the sky that people think comes from another planet

is a general unknown sky object not limited to a disc shape
bogy
vsunidentified flying object
  • Jargon
1 9.9

An unknown plane seen on radar that may be enemy

is a sky object whose origin is unknown and often seen as extraterrestrial

Surface Forms

unidentified flying object singular
unidentified flying objects plural

Morphology

unidentified + fly + object

The meaning is directly and transparently composed from 'unidentified' (not recognized) + 'flying' (moving through the air) + 'object' (thing): a thing flying whose identity is unknown. This adjectival + participial + noun pattern is compositional and common across languages (UFO concept), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Unidentified flying object names a clear picture: a strange object seen flying in the sky that people cannot identify. Pilots and experts used this phrase for odd lights or shapes they could not explain, so today it means a 'strange flying thing' often thought to be from 'aliens'.