airplane
Americannoun
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airplanes
plural
-
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:
“Next thing I know is I’m looking down at my airplane and it’s getting smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller, and I’m just shooting up into the sky,” said Bath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
And even then loud environmental vibrations such as a low-flying airplane or a heavy truck passing are no more than faintly perceived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
“It travels by truck, airplane and cargo ship into nearly every store in America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
While the 9/11 Commission's 2004 report noted US intelligence believed al-Qaeda was considering using an airplane in the attack, it was never clear that the warning reached then-President Bill Clinton.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Benji stood in front of a large window and watched workers load suitcases into the belly of an airplane.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Soybean oil becomes biodiesel and aviation fuel, powering school buses and commercial airplanes.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Overhead, airplanes screech across a fat blue sky in a hurry to who knows where.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
He could also recite statistics on the percentage of Iran’s missiles, ships, airplanes, etc., we’ve destroyed in the six-month war.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
“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
It wasn’t like the tractor she had seen at the trading post or the airplanes she had occasionally glimpsed, although it came from the sky.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
