aeroplane
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of aeroplane
1870–75; < French aéroplane, equivalent to aéro- aero- + -plane, apparently feminine of plan flat, level (< Latin plānus; cf. plain 1), perhaps by association with forme plane; apparently coined and first used by French sculptor and inventor Joseph Pline in 1855
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.
Multiple land and ground water assessments from the time make reference to the fire training area - where firefighters would practice putting out an aeroplane set on fire above a 'pond' of fuel.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
"In this context, the player has been invited to Istanbul to advance the transfer negotiations and undergo medical examinations," they added with a photo of Guendouzi on an aeroplane.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
Its FP1 and FP2 drones, each the size of a small aeroplane, have carried out 60% of Ukraine's long-range strikes.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
New Delhi city authorities, working with the government's Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, launched a test run on Thursday afternoon using a Cessna light aeroplane over the city's northern Burari area.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025
The aeroplane had no solid body; it was only an empty frame about twenty feet long, four feet high in front and angling up in back to only about a foot.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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