hydroplane
Americannoun
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a seaplane.
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an attachment to an airplane enabling it to glide on the water.
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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.
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a horizontal rudder for submerging or elevating a submarine.
verb (used without object)
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to skim over water in the manner of a hydroplane.
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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
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an attachment to an aircraft to enable it to glide along the surface of water
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another name (esp US) for a seaplane
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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
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hydroplanesimple
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hydroplanessimple
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have hydroplanedperfect
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has hydroplanedperfect
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am hydroplaningprogressive
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are hydroplaningprogressive
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is hydroplaningprogressive
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have been hydroplaningperfect progressive
-
has been hydroplaningperfect progressive
Past
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hydroplanedsimple
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had hydroplanedperfect
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was hydroplaningprogressive
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were hydroplaningprogressive
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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
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"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
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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:
Ryan Burks helped his son Ryder, 11, in and out of the hydroplane they built through the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum’s J-Hydro program.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
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
She describes being surprised in March the following year when she was asked by the museum's trustees to mediate with Mr Smith, who harboured ambitions to run the hydroplane across the globe.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2024
It wouldn’t hydroplane unless it was going one hundred miles an hour.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
H1 Unlimited called the new boat “one of the most technologically advanced Unlimited hydroplanes ever constructed” in a news release Wednesday, saying it is a “composite craft, utilizing carbon fiber and other advanced materials.”
From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2024
Some participants drove runabouts that slice through the water, while others used hydroplanes, which glide over it.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
Pre-pandemic, the F1 Tunnel Boats were the undercard for the unlimited hydroplanes.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2023
Stocklin didn’t want to kick the bucket without fulfilling his dream of racing hydroplanes.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
The growth of the aeroplane industry has developed as many makes of machines as there are makes of automobiles, but in a general way aeroplanes are divided into four classes—monoplanes, biplanes, triplanes and hydroplanes.
From Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights by Miller, Kelly
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
Solomon Mensah’s Hyundai Sonata hydroplaned as he slammed on the brakes to avoid a bus that had suddenly stopped ahead of him.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 23, 2023
A 25-year-old man died after his vehicle hydroplaned into another vehicle.
From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 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
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
Abrupt stops may even result in hydroplaning, which will cause you to lose control of your car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
There have also been several car crashes reported, many due to hydroplaning, according to WAPT-TV.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2022
Cars were hydroplaning all over the course, crashing into the wall and struggling to get the windshield wipers working.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 10, 2020
The quad’s balloon tires cut through the water easily, but he’d have to watch out for hydroplaning, which was just as dangerous as driving on ice.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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.
