Meanings
nonstandard plural hovercrafts
- genericized trademarktransportA vehicle supported on a cushion of air, able to traverse many different types of terrain and travel over water, used for transport.
The snapshot shows the whale parallel above the water almost as if it’s competing in belly-flop contest, doing a midair plank or floating across the bay like a hovercraft.
2022 July 24, Morgan Krakow, “It began as a typical ferry ride in Kachemak Bay. Then a minke whale went airborne.”, in Anchorage Daily News, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2023Synonyms: ACV, air-cushion vehicle
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA vehicle supported on a cushion of air, able to traverse many different types of terrain and travel over water, used for transport.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna craft capable of moving over water or land on a cushion of air created by jet engines
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From hover + -craft. Originally a trademark by Saunders-Roe Limited, a British aero- and marine-engineering company.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans sweeftuig
- sweeftuigvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Arabic حَوَّامَة
- حَوَّامَة (ḥawwāma)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Basque aerolabaingailu
- aerolabaingailuvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Catalan aerolliscador
- aerolliscadorvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Chinese Mandarin 氣墊船 /气垫船
- 氣墊船 /气垫船 (qìdiànchuán)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Czech vznášedlo
- vznášedlovehicle supported on a cushion of air
Danish luftpudebåd, svævebåd
- luftpudebådvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- svævebådvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Dutch hovercraft, luchtkussenvoertuig
- hovercraftvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- luchtkussenvoertuigvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Esperanto teraplano
- teraplanovehicle supported on a cushion of air
Finnish ilmatyynyalus, pintaliitäjä
- ilmatyynyalusvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- pintaliitäjävehicle supported on a cushion of air
French aéroglisseur
- aéroglisseurvehicle supported on a cushion of air
German Hovercraft, Luftkissenfahrzeug
- Hovercraftvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- Luftkissenfahrzeugvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- Luftkissenbootvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Greek αερόστρωμνο
- αερόστρωμνο (aeróstromno)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Hebrew רַחֶפֶת, רחפת
- רַחֶפֶתvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- רחפת (rakhefet)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Hungarian légpárnás
- légpárnásvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Icelandic svifnökkvi
- svifnökkvivehicle supported on a cushion of air
Indonesian kapal katung, kapal bantalan udara
- kapal katungvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- kapal bantalan udaravehicle supported on a cushion of air
Italian aeroscafo, aeronave
- aeroscafovehicle supported on a cushion of air
- aeronavevehicle supported on a cushion of air
- aeroscivolantevehicle supported on a cushion of air
- aeroslittantevehicle supported on a cushion of air
- hovercraftvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Japanese ホバークラフト
- ホバークラフト (hobākurafuto)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Korean 공기부양정, 호버크래프트
- 공기부양정 (gonggibuyangjeong)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
- 호버크래프트 (hobeokeuraepeuteu)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Malay hoverkraf
- hoverkrafvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Māori waka topaki
- waka topakivehicle supported on a cushion of air
Norwegian Bokmål luftputebåt, svevebåt
- luftputebåtvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- svevebåtvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Persian هواناو
- هواناوvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Polish poduszkowiec
- poduszkowiecvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Portuguese aerobarco, aerodeslizador
- aerobarcovehicle supported on a cushion of air
- aerodeslizadorvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- hovercraftvehicle supported on a cushion of air
Russian су́дно на возду́шной поду́шке, СВП
- су́дно на возду́шной поду́шке (súdno na vozdúšnoj podúške)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
- СВП (SVP)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
- хо́веркра́фт (xóverkráft)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Spanish aerodeslizador, hovercraft (hóverkraft)
- aerodeslizadorvehicle supported on a cushion of air
- hovercraft (hóverkraft)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Swedish svävare
- svävarevehicle supported on a cushion of air
Turkish hava yastıklı tekne
- hava yastıklı teknevehicle supported on a cushion of air
Ukrainian судно́ на пові́тряній поду́шці
- судно́ на пові́тряній поду́шці (sudnó na povítrjanij podúšci)vehicle supported on a cushion of air
Vietnamese ca nô đệm khí
- ca nô đệm khívehicle supported on a cushion of air
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
hovercraft. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hovercraft
“hovercraft.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hovercraft. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hovercraft,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hovercraft.
Source: hovercraft on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.