foo fighter

noun

Any of various unidentified flying objects, as reported by Allied pilots during World War II.

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Meanings

nounfoo fighter (plural foo fighters)

plural foo fighters

  1. Any of various unidentified flying objects, as reported by Allied pilots during World War II.

    A former Dutch journalist, Jack Kunst first became interested in UFOs when ‘foo fighters’ were reported in World War II.

    1965, James Holledge, Flying Saucers Over Australia, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 70

Origin

From foo, either a nonce word or a corruption of the French word feu (“fire”), + fighter (“type of aircraft”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

foo fighter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foo%20fighter

MLA

“foo fighter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foo%20fighter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foo fighter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foo%20fighter.

Source: foo fighter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.