biplane

American

[bahy-playn] / ˈbaɪˌpleɪn /

noun

an airplane with two sets of wings, one above and usually slightly forward of the other.

biplane British

/ ˈbaɪˌpleɪn /

noun

a type of aeroplane having two sets of wings, one above the other Compare monoplane

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of biplane

First recorded in 1870–75; bi- ¹ + (air)plane

Compare meaning

How does biplane compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

monoplane vs. biplane

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:

biplane

The practice lasted until 1932, when a 22-year-old student aviator spotted a drifting cat-shaped balloon and tried to capture it with her biplane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025

During filming in England, he was seen dangling from an upside-down biplane — because of course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2025

That's how they had her hover at that one point for one of the opening shots when she's hovering and then it turns into the biplane.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2024

In 2015, North Korean state media even carried footage of Kim Jong Un piloting a "homegrown" light aircraft and sitting at the controls of an AN-2 military biplane.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2023

On her desk sat a stack of books, a journal and pen, and a picture of her dad flying his Sopwith Camel biplane, grinning and giving the thumbs-up.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023