hydroplane
Americannoun
-
hydroplanes
plural
-
a seaplane.
-
an attachment to an airplane enabling it to glide on the water.
-
a light, high-powered boat, especially one with hydrofoils or a stepped bottom, designed to plane along the surface of the water at very high speeds.
-
a horizontal rudder for submerging or elevating a submarine.
verb (used without object)
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hydroplanes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hydroplaned,
past participle, past
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hydroplaning
present participle
-
to skim over water in the manner of a hydroplane.
-
to travel in a hydroplane.
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Also (of a vehicular tire or vehicle) to ride on a film of water on a wet surface with a resulting decrease in braking and steering effectiveness.
noun
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a motorboat equipped with hydrofoils or with a shaped bottom that raises its hull out of the water at high speeds
-
an attachment to an aircraft to enable it to glide along the surface of water
-
another name (esp US) for a seaplane
-
a horizontal vane on the hull of a submarine for controlling its vertical motion
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hydroplanesimple
-
hydroplanessimple
-
have hydroplanedperfect
-
has hydroplanedperfect
-
am hydroplaningprogressive
-
are hydroplaningprogressive
-
is hydroplaningprogressive
-
have been hydroplaningperfect progressive
-
has been hydroplaningperfect progressive
Past
-
hydroplanedsimple
-
had hydroplanedperfect
-
was hydroplaningprogressive
-
were hydroplaningprogressive
-
had been hydroplaningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hydroplane
Explanation
A hydroplane is an aircraft that's designed to land on water, or a boat that skims lightly across the water's surface. When you hydroplane, it's more likely to be in a car that's slipping on a wet road. The noun hydroplane always refers to a vehicle, either a speedboat that seems to hover over the surface of water as it travels, or a plane that can take off and land on an ocean or lake. Used as a verb, hydroplane describes what these vehicles do — or what a fast-moving car does on a very wet surface, losing traction as it begins to float and slide. The prefix hydro- means "water" in Greek.
Vocabulary lists containing hydroplane
Elements of the Universe: Hydr, Hydro ("Water")
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"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
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Lyrics from "Umbrella" by Rihanna
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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:
The nation’s only public museum dedicated solely to unlimited hydroplane racing, the nonprofit reaches beyond pure recreation to benefit children and wounded veterans, as well.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
The hydroplane was lifted from the lake in 2001 and restored by Tyneside engineer Bill Smith.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2024
Mr Smith eventually walked away and handed the hydroplane to the Ruskin Museum.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2024
Having watched another motorist hydroplane on the main thoroughfare’s wet surface, the couple had detoured off Fourth Plain Boulevard, just to be extra cautious.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
Evidently he lived in this vicinity for he told me that he had just bought a hydroplane and was going to try it out in the morning.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Some participants drove runabouts that slice through the water, while others used hydroplanes, which glide over it.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
Gunnar’s boat racing career started as so many do, building J-stock outboard hydroplanes at the museum with his grandfather and his sister.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
Outside of the HomeStreet Bank Cup competition, you can spot vintage hydroplanes on the water and catch 9- to 16-year-olds racing at up to 40 mph in the junior hydroplane races.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
If you’re fascinated with hydroplanes, consider getting a $15 Pit Pass, letting you watch boaters get in and out of their hydroplanes close up and snag autographs.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
One kept his eye on a bubble and turned his wheel to control the hydroplanes to keep the craft level, and the other man's eyes also watched a bubble in a level.
From Some Naval Yarns by Mordaunt Hall
Near the 101 Freeway in Hidden Hills, a number of vehicles hydroplaned as Round Meadow Road flooded near Mureau Road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025
“There was two vehicles traveling toward each other. One hydroplaned on water and it was occupied by four people,” Sgt.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
The Fairfield Police Department said in a statement that the woman apparently hit a patch of standing water and hydroplaned, crashing into a nearby utility pole.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2023
The three were traveling southbound on Interstate 35 in Tonkawa, Okla., near the Kansas border, when their Volkswagen Tiguan hydroplaned and became disabled, blocking the outside lane, according to the department of public safety.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2022
When he got into the wreck, he thought he hydroplaned.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Proper inflation and tread can reduce the risk of hydroplaning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
In Garfield County, Okla., severe weather destroyed some barns, felled trees and sent cars hydroplaning into ditches, but no one was injured, said Mike Honigsberg, the emergency management director for the county.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2024
There have also been several car crashes reported, many due to hydroplaning, according to WAPT-TV.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2022
The speaker is also rated for IP55 dust and water resistance, so it can handle hydroplaning drifts.
From The Verge ● Apr. 14, 2022
As to substance, she truly believed that the accident had been caused by the weather, hydroplaning.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
