flying saucer

noun

A disc-shaped unidentified flying object or UFO; originally in reference to sightings by aviator Kenneth Arnold in Washington in 1947.

“Some connect the recent spate of flying saucer sightings with a rumored top-secret military aviation project.”

Similar
saucercraftunidentified flying objectUFO
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Meanings

nounflying saucer (plural flying saucers)

plural flying saucers

  1. informalA disc-shaped unidentified flying object or UFO; originally in reference to sightings by aviator Kenneth Arnold in Washington in 1947.

    Some connect the recent spate of flying saucer sightings with a rumored top-secret military aviation project.

    2 more examples

    Amateur airman Kenneth Arnold of Pendleton (Oregon) reported yesterday that he had seen "nine planes like flying saucers travelling at 1200 miles an hour."

    1947 June 29, The Truth, Sydney, page 39, column 4

    An engram is NOT [...] One of the little green men Americans claim have crashed in flying saucers.

    1950 December 6, The Sydney Morning Herald, page 3, column 5

    Synonyms: saucercraft

  2. literatureAn alien interplanetary vessel, typically disc-shaped and of metallic construction.
  3. A form of confectionery, a small spheroidal capsule of rice paper filled with sherbet.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA disc-shaped unidentified flying object or UFO; originally in reference to sightings by aviator Kenneth Arnold in Washington in 1947.

Similar
saucercraft

More synonyms by meaning

nounan (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins

Similar
unidentified flying objectUFO
Broader
apparitionphantomphantasm
Also see
ufounidentified flying object

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From an interview given by amateur pilot Kenneth Arnold who described seeing nine flying objects that were "moving like saucers being skimmed across a lake". The description was not meant to describe the shape of the objects, only how they maneuvered, yet the misinterpretation took hold and gained popularity.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic طَبَق طَائِر
  • طَبَق طَائِر (ṭabaq ṭāʔir)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Bulgarian летяща чиния
  • летяща чиния (letjašta činija)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Catalan platet volador
  • platet voladordisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Chinese Mandarin 飛碟 /飞碟
  • 飛碟 /飞碟 (fēidié)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Czech létající talíř
  • létající talířdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Danish flyvende tallerken
  • flyvende tallerkendisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Dutch vliegende schotel
  • vliegende schoteldisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Esperanto fluganta subtaso
  • fluganta subtasodisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Estonian lendav taldrik
  • lendav taldrikdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Finnish lentävä lautanen
  • lentävä lautanendisc-shaped unidentified flying object
French soucoupe volante
  • soucoupe volantedisc-shaped unidentified flying object
German fliegende Untertasse
  • fliegende Untertassedisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Greek ιπτάμενος δίσκος
  • ιπτάμενος δίσκος (iptámenos dískos)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Hindi उड़न तश्तरी
  • उड़न तश्तरी (uṛan taśtarī)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Hungarian repülő csészealj
  • repülő csészealjdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Icelandic fljúgandi diskur
  • fljúgandi diskurdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Irish sásar eitilte
  • sásar eitiltedisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Italian disco volante
  • disco volantedisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Japanese 空飛ぶ円盤
  • 空飛ぶ円盤 (sora tobu enban)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Korean 비행접시
  • 비행접시 (bihaengjeopsi)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Latin patella volans
  • patella volansdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Norwegian flygende tallerken
  • flygende tallerkendisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Persian بشقاب پرنده
  • بشقاب پرنده (bošqâb parande)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Polish latający spodek
  • latający spodekdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Portuguese disco voador
  • disco voadordisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Romanian farfurie zburătoare
  • farfurie zburătoaredisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Russian лета́ющая таре́лка
  • лета́ющая таре́лка (letájuščaja tarélka)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Spanish platillo volante, platillo volador
  • platillo volantedisc-shaped unidentified flying object
  • platillo voladordisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Swedish flygande tefat
  • flygande tefatdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Tamil பறக்கும்தட்டு
  • பறக்கும்தட்டு (paṟakkumtaṭṭu)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Thai จานบิน, จานผี
  • จานบิน (jaan-bin)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
  • จานผีdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Turkish uçan daire
  • uçan dairedisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Urdu اڑن طشتری, اڑن تشتری
  • اڑن طشتری (uṛan tashtarī)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
  • اڑن تشتری (uṛan tashtarī)disc-shaped unidentified flying object
Vietnamese đĩa bay
  • đĩa baydisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Welsh soser hedegog
  • soser hedegogdisc-shaped unidentified flying object
Cite this entry
APA

flying saucer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flying%20saucer

MLA

“flying saucer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flying%20saucer. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flying saucer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flying%20saucer.

Source: flying saucer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.