airliner
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of airliner
Explanation
If you've ever taken a trip that began or ended at an airport, then chances are that your journey included flying on an airliner — a big, commercial airplane that transports passengers across cities, countries, and continents. An airliner plays a crucial role in connecting people and places, making travel over long distances accessible and convenient. A nonstop trip from New York to Hawaii — a distance of more than 5,000 miles — can be made in about 12 hours on an airliner. Early airliners had spacious seats and legroom, along with amenities like piano lounges. Most of today's airliners have fewer amenities and more seats for paying passengers. Smaller airliners carry about 100–135 passengers, while larger airliners can carry up to about 850 passengers!
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.
A military helicopter flies in front of the Pentagon Sept. 14, 2001, in Arlington, Va., at the impact site where a hijacked airliner crashed into the building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Mackay said his company believed it was the closest a civilian airliner had operated so close to winter solstice, which was on 21 June.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
He said "an enormous amount of experience and familiarity with the conditions" was needed to safely land an airliner on an ice runway in total darkness at -43°C.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Qatar's royal family donated the luxury airliner last year after Trump complained about the state of the two aging Boeing 747 jets that had served as Air Force One since 1990.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
An airliner some thirty miles away reported being pelted with rocks.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
