plane
1a flat or level surface.
Geometry. a surface generated by a straight line moving at a constant velocity with respect to a fixed point.
Fine Arts. an area of a two-dimensional surface having determinate extension and spatial direction or position: oblique plane; horizontal plane.
a level of dignity, character, existence, development, or the like: a high moral plane.
Aeronautics.
an airplane or a hydroplane: to take a plane to Dallas.
a thin, flat or curved, extended section of an airplane or a hydroplane, affording a supporting surface.
Architecture. a longitudinal section through the axis of a column.
flat or level, as a surface.
of or relating to planes or plane figures.
to glide or soar.
(of a boat) to rise partly out of the water when moving at high speed.
Informal. to fly or travel in an airplane: We'll drive to Detroit and plane to Los Angeles.
Origin of plane
1Other words for plane
Other words from plane
- planeness, noun
Words that may be confused with plane
Other definitions for plane (2 of 3)
Carpentry. any of various woodworking instruments for paring, truing, or smoothing, or for forming moldings, chamfers, rabbets, grooves, etc., by means of an inclined, adjustable blade moved along and against the piece being worked.
a trowellike tool for smoothing the surface of clay in a brick mold.
to smooth or dress with or as if with a plane or a planer.
to remove by or as if by means of a plane (usually followed by away or off).
to work with a plane.
to function as a plane.
Origin of plane
2Other definitions for plane (3 of 3)
Origin of plane
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use plane in a sentence
Another who had moved across the country said Erasquin bought her a plane ticket home but threatened to cancel her return flight when she did not come see him.
Matthew Erasquin, Arlington lawyer, accused of paying underage girls for sex | Rachel Weiner | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostYes, flying in a plane means you’re in an indoor space with other people.
The CDC’s Thanksgiving warning isn’t really about travel | Sy Mukherjee | November 20, 2020 | Fortune“This plane should be avoided by the flying public,” he said.
FAA lifts ban on Boeing 737 Max after crashes in 2018 and 2019 grounded the jet | Michael Laris, Lori Aratani, Ian Duncan | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostThose are the things that make me, more than ever, want to get on a plane and head toward them, as I’ve done almost every year during the holidays.
A 28-year-old ‘nerd’ in Baltimore invented a new type of mask, and tapped into the strangeness of this 2020 holiday season | Theresa Vargas | November 18, 2020 | Washington PostIt’s called a drone, but it’s more like a plane with two wings.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society | Jason Sparapani | November 18, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
I…saw…18th-century hand-hewn and hand-planed joists and beams with extremely wide floorboards right above them….
Is This the Tavern Where Washington Drank After Beating the British? | William Bryk | November 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is cut and planed to size while lying flat on a board, the plane being pushed along on its side on the bench top.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousThe heat will expand the wood and raise it enough so that the spot can be planed and smoothed in the usual manner.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousWhen she looked west the land was empty to the horizon, and a flock of big sand-hill cranes planed down the wind.
The Girl From Keller's | Harold BindlossDrive a pin perpendicularly into the face of the board, near the middle of the planed edge.
A Text-Book of Astronomy | George C. ComstockOn the rim and on the outer slopes just below it are a number of glacier grooved and planed rock-surfaces.
Your National Parks | Enos A. Mills
British Dictionary definitions for plane (1 of 3)
/ (pleɪn) /
maths a flat surface in which a straight line joining any two of its points lies entirely on that surface
a flat or level surface
a level of existence, performance, attainment, etc
short for aeroplane
a wing or supporting surface of an aircraft or hydroplane
level or flat
maths (of a curve, figure, etc) lying entirely in one plane
to fly without moving wings or using engines; glide
(of a boat) to rise partly and skim over the water when moving at a certain speed
to travel by aeroplane
Origin of plane
1Derived forms of plane
- planeness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for plane (2 of 3)
/ (pleɪn) /
a tool with an adjustable sharpened steel blade set obliquely in a wooden or iron body, for levelling or smoothing timber surfaces, cutting mouldings or grooves, etc
a flat tool, usually metal, for smoothing the surface of clay or plaster in a mould
to level, smooth, or cut (timber, wooden articles, etc) using a plane or similar tool
(often foll by off) to remove using a plane
Origin of plane
2British Dictionary definitions for plane (3 of 3)
/ (pleɪn) /
See plane tree
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for plane
[ plān ]
A two-dimensional surface, any two of whose points can be joined by a straight line that lies entirely in the surface.
Lying in a plane:a plane curve.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for plane
A geometrical location having only two dimensions — length and width (no height). (See coordinates and plane geometry.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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