wake vortex

noun

One of the paired vortices formed behind any heavier-than-air aircraft when producing lift, created by the velocity differential between the air being accelerated downwards by the wings (or other lifting surface), on the one hand, and the unaccelerated air beyond the aircraft's wingtips, on the other.

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Meanings

nounwake vortex (plural wake vortices)

plural wake vortices

  1. aerodynamicsOne of the paired vortices formed behind any heavier-than-air aircraft when producing lift, created by the velocity differential between the air being accelerated downwards by the wings (or other lifting surface), on the one hand, and the unaccelerated air beyond the aircraft's wingtips, on the other.
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: wake vortex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.