UFO

noun

ˌyü-(ˌ)ef-ˈō How to pronounce UFO (audio)
ˈyü-(ˌ)fō
plural UFO's or UFOs ˌyü-(ˌ)ef-ˈōz How to pronounce UFO (audio)
ˈyü-(ˌ)fōz
: a mysterious flying object in the sky that is sometimes assumed to be a spaceship from another planet : unidentified flying object
"All right." The President sighed. "Is there anybody around this table who thinks UFOs and this signal from Vega have anything to do with each other?"Carl Sagan
In 1966, the first UFO "abduction" was described in journalist John G. Fuller's book The Interrupted Journey.Keay Davidson

called also UAP, unidentified aerial phenomenon, unidentified anomalous phenomenon

Examples of UFO in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And of course, there’s talk of Area 51, a remote, formerly top-secret U.S. military base that has long been the subject of UFO and space alien lore. Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025 Watch the Skies, which debuted in its home country back in 2022 as UFO Sweden, follows a teenager searching for her missing (and possibly abducted by aliens) father with a UFO watchers' club. New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2025 Advocates for open government have long complained that the push for secrecy goes too far, by protecting information that could shine a light on government activities or matters of public interest, including about UFO sightings and a 60-year-old presidential assassination. David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025 There’s a perfect tonal pairing here since Looney Tunes hit their peak during the space race and UFO craze of the late '50s and '60s. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for UFO

Word History

Etymology

unidentified flying object

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of UFO was in 1953

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Cite this Entry

“UFO.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/UFO. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

plural UFO's or UFOs -ˈōz How to pronounce UFO (audio)
: an unidentified flying object
especially : flying saucer

More from Merriam-Webster on UFO

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