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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have hydroplanedperfect
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has hydroplanedperfect 3rd person singular
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is hydroplaningprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been hydroplaningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been hydroplaningperfect progressive
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hydroplanessingular 3rd person
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are hydroplaningprogressive
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am hydroplaningprogressive 1st person singular
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hydroplaningparticiple
Past
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had hydroplanedperfect
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had been hydroplaningperfect progressive
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was hydroplaningprogressive singular
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were hydroplaningprogressive plural
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hydroplanedparticiple
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hydroplanedsimple
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
Elements of the Universe: Hydr, Hydro ("Water")
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"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
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Lyrics from "Umbrella" by Rihanna
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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.
When Villwock, 70, drives the boat, he will become the oldest driver in unlimited hydroplane history.
From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024
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
Mr Smith eventually walked away and handed the hydroplane to the Ruskin Museum.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2024
The hydroplane was lifted from the lake in 2001 and restored by Tyneside engineer Bill Smith.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2024
"And don't forget we're going up in the hydroplane tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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.
