airdrop

A1I1R1D2R1O1P3

noun

The act of delivering goods, equipment, or personnel by dropping them from an aircraft in flight.

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Meanings

airdrop1

nounairdrop (plural airdrops)

plural airdrops · alternative air-drop

  1. The act of delivering goods, equipment, or personnel by dropping them from an aircraft in flight.
  2. businessThe distribution of free tokens to help bootstrap a new cryptocurrency.

    But Facebook is also likely to carry out what’s known in cryptocurrency circles as an “air drop”, handing out small amounts of currency for free in an effort to kickstart the ecosystem.

    [2019 June 18, Kari Paul, “What is Libra? All you need to know about Facebook's new cryptocurrency”, in The Guardian
verbairdrop (third-person singular simple present airdrops, present participle airdropping, simple past and past participle airdropped)

present singular third person airdrops · participle present airdropping · participle past airdropped · past airdropped · alternative air-drop

  1. intransitivetransitiveTo deliver goods, equipment, or personnel by dropping them from an aircraft in flight.

    The Mako is powered by a sealed hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell, and includes a small element zero core. While not large enough to nullify the vehicle’s mass, the core can reduce it enough to be safely air-dropped.

    2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Vehicles: M35 Mako Codex entry
  2. intransitivetransitivebusinessTo distribute free tokens to help bootstrap a new cryptocurrency.
  3. Alternative letter-case form of AirDrop.

AirDrop2

proper noun
  1. computingA wireless service of Apple Inc. which can transfer files among supported Macintosh computers and iOS devices by means of close-range wireless communication.
verbAirDrop (third-person singular simple present AirDrops, present participle AirDropping, simple past and past participle AirDropped)

present singular third person AirDrops · participle present AirDropping · participle past AirDropped · past AirDropped

  1. ditransitiveintransitivecomputingTo transfer a file using AirDrop.

    Cyber-flashing is not experienced as a less harmful or less damaging behaviour just because it happens digitally rather than on the street. […] For those who have been AirDropped in a public place, there is not even the comfort of knowing for certain who is guilty.

    2023 April 19, Sophie Gallagher, “Cyber-flashing is just as damaging as the ‘real world’ equivalent. When will the law catch up?”, in The Guardian
    1 more example

    “Another day another group of french^([sic]) teens trying to AirDrop me memes on the subway,” one woman tweeted. “In a crowd of teens and they keep trying to AirDrop me memes!!!” said another. One young Twitter user joked that she was going to a music festival last weekend “just to AirDrop.”

    2019 June 5, Taylor Lorenz, “When Grown-Ups Get Caught in Teens’ AirDrop Crossfire”, in The Atlantic

Origin

airdrop · noun, verb

From air + drop.

Full word history & related roots →

AirDrop · proper noun, verb

By the analogy of an airdrop, in which items are delivered by dropping them from an aircraft in flight.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch dropping, droppen
  • droppingact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • droppento drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • met valschermen afwerpento drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
Finnish ilmapudotus, lentopudotus
  • ilmapudotusact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • lentopudotusact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • pudottaa lentokoneestato drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • tehdä ilmapudotusto drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • tehdä lentopudotusto drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
French parachuter, larguer par parachute
  • parachuterto drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • larguer par parachuteto drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
German Abwurf, Fallschirmabwurf
  • Abwurfact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • Fallschirmabwurfact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
Italian lancio con il paracadute, lanciare con il paracadute
  • lancio con il paracaduteact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • lanciare con il paracaduteto drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • paracadutareto drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
Polish zrzut, dokonywać zrzutu
  • zrzutact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • dokonywać zrzututo drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • dokonać zrzututo drop goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
Spanish entrega aérea, entrega por paracaídas
  • entrega aéreaact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • entrega por paracaídasact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • lanzamiento aéreoact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
  • lanzamiento en paracaídasact of dropping goods, equipment, or personnel from an aircraft
Cite this entry
APA

airdrop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/airdrop

MLA

“airdrop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/airdrop. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “airdrop,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/airdrop.

Source: airdrop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.