airplane
Americannoun
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airplanes
plural
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a heavier-than-air aircraft kept aloft by the upward thrust exerted by the passing air on its fixed wings and driven by propellers, jet propulsion, etc.
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any similar heavier-than-air aircraft, as a glider or helicopter.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of airplane
1870–75, for an earlier sense; alteration of aeroplane, with air 1 replacing aero-
Compare meaning
How does airplane compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An airplane is a flying vehicle that has fixed wings and engines or propellers that thrust it forward through the air. It's most common when you travel long distances to take an airplane. An airplane is the form of transportation you'll probably choose when you need to go from New York to California — it's the fastest and safest way to get there. Commercial airplanes are flown by a pilot and staffed by a crew. In Britain, it's still called an aeroplane, from the Greek aero-, "air," and French planer, "to soar," by way of the French aéroplane.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Whenever I looked at the sky I imagined myself flying an airplane and seeing the world from above. I wanted to fly freely and experience a world without limits," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
This month, Eve achieved its first transition flight, showing its prototype can take off vertically like a helicopter and move into flight like an airplane, which is one of the most challenging phases of development.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Companies pay search engines like Google to appear in the search results for everything from airplane tickets to skincare.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
The proposed airplane would seat about 250 passengers and fly about 5,000 nautical miles, fitting between the biggest narrowbodies and the smallest wide-bodies that Boeing and Airbus currently sell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Jay put the airplane box down on the table and looked around for it, his eyes bright as noontime.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
“This issue has not been observed on the 737 MAX fleet, but Boeing extended the inspections to 737 MAX airplanes as the model shares a similar design and build process,” the spokesperson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The company said Monday it is "readying the first airplanes" for delivery to launch customer Southwest Airlines.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The total company backlog, which rose to a record $715 billion, included over 6,200 commercial airplanes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The infants were probably exposed to measles “during international travel, whether in airports, airplanes or otherwise while abroad,” the state Department of Public Health told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Most of the paper airplanes drifted in looping circles, spiraling down the three stories under the dome in one or two minutes.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
