ornithopter
noun
or·ni·thop·ter
ˈȯr-nə-ˌthäp-tər 
: an aircraft designed to derive its chief support and propulsion from flapping wings
Examples of ornithopter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fans flew the ornithopter for a total of 181M miles — the distance of flying to the sun and back.
—
Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2025
What really worked for director Denis Villeneuve, says King, were the sounds of the thumpers (used to summon the sandworms) and the ornithopters (the helicopters), so those were reused in Part Two.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
Paul and Jessica fly off in an ornithopter and evade their pursuers by flying into a storm.
—Max Evry, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
There’s also some ornithopter combat and what looks like fairly extensive base-building options.
—Andrew Webster, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024
The Flying Martha, for example, is a windup flying bird, or ornithopter, that can also be used as a kite and was designed to match the exact dimensions of the passenger pigeon, a once endemic species in North America that was hunted to extinction by 1914.
—New York Times, 29 Sep. 2021
An ornithopter is a highly complex system.
—Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 28 July 2020
In August 2010, with Reichert again supplying pedaling power, the ornithopter achieved flight — albeit brief, about 19 seconds.
—James McCommons, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2015
Berkeley is also working on a second ornithopter called iBird, which is capable of flying towards a reflective target completely autonomously.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Sep. 2011
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Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2025
What really worked for director Denis Villeneuve, says King, were the sounds of the thumpers (used to summon the sandworms) and the ornithopters (the helicopters), so those were reused in Part Two.
—Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2025
Paul and Jessica fly off in an ornithopter and evade their pursuers by flying into a storm.
—Max Evry, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
There’s also some ornithopter combat and what looks like fairly extensive base-building options.
—Andrew Webster, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024
The Flying Martha, for example, is a windup flying bird, or ornithopter, that can also be used as a kite and was designed to match the exact dimensions of the passenger pigeon, a once endemic species in North America that was hunted to extinction by 1914.
—New York Times, 29 Sep. 2021
An ornithopter is a highly complex system.
—Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 28 July 2020
In August 2010, with Reichert again supplying pedaling power, the ornithopter achieved flight — albeit brief, about 19 seconds.
—James McCommons, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2015
Berkeley is also working on a second ornithopter called iBird, which is capable of flying towards a reflective target completely autonomously.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Sep. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Ornithopter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ornithopter. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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