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Definition of "rotorcraft" [rotorcraft]

  • An aircraft, especially a helicopter, that is kept partially or completely airborne by airfoils rotating around a vertical axis. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "rotorcraft" in a sentence
  • "Here's a video of the test run for the small, 15 ft version of this 'rotorcraft':"
  • "Mom I am about to be arrested, it is illegal to use rotorcraft to transport hunters in Alaska."
  • "When a rotorcraft takes off straight up or hovers, it has to produce a pound of thrust for every pound it weighs, plus enough to compensate for whatever portion of its rotor downwash pushes down on the fuselage and other parts of the machine."