hydroplane
Americannoun
-
hydroplanes
plural
-
a seaplane.
-
an attachment to an airplane enabling it to glide on the water.
-
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.
-
a horizontal rudder for submerging or elevating a submarine.
verb (used without object)
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hydroplanes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hydroplaned,
past participle, past
-
hydroplaning
present participle
-
to skim over water in the manner of a hydroplane.
-
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
-
a motorboat equipped with hydrofoils or with a shaped bottom that raises its hull out of the water at high speeds
-
an attachment to an aircraft to enable it to glide along the surface of water
-
another name (esp US) for a seaplane
-
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
-
hydroplanesimple
-
hydroplanessimple
-
have hydroplanedperfect
-
has hydroplanedperfect
-
am hydroplaningprogressive
-
are hydroplaningprogressive
-
is hydroplaningprogressive
-
have been hydroplaningperfect progressive
-
has been hydroplaningperfect progressive
Past
-
hydroplanedsimple
-
had hydroplanedperfect
-
was hydroplaningprogressive
-
were hydroplaningprogressive
-
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
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.
See Examples For:
Mr Smith eventually walked away and handed the hydroplane to the Ruskin Museum.
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’s been a long time since the Miss Madison unlimited hydroplane racing team had a season like this.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
Seafair weekend includes hydroplane racing, log-boom parties and an airshow including the Blue Angels, all enjoyable from the water.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
It was the first time he had called on me though I had gone to two of his parties, mounted in his hydroplane, and, at his urgent invitation, made frequent use of his beach.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A handful of vintage hydroplanes sat at the boat dock Friday morning when I arrived for my ride.
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
If you’re fascinated with hydroplanes, consider getting a $15 Pit Pass, letting you watch boaters get in and out of their hydroplanes close up and snag autographs.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
Navy Blue Angels and more, and the water where hydroplanes will race in the HomeStreet Bank Cup.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
At sea they will neither rise up and fly clear like the hydroplanes, nor dive and be done with it like the submarines, but imitate the vices of both.
From Sea Warfare by Rudyard Kipling
What they’ll remember instead is how North America’s best two women’s teams hydroplaned their way through a game that never should have been played.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
“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
During a downpour in Indiana, a Tesla Model 3 hydroplaned off the road and burst into flames.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2023
The young man told Vernon that his car had hydroplaned.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
The agency also says Tesla made safety updates after the recall fix was sent out, including an attempt to reduce crashes caused by hydroplaning and to reduce collisions in high speed turn lanes.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
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
A second storm-related death occurred when a teen driver’s car crashed after hydroplaning in the Solano County city of Fairfield, the Fairfield Police Department said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2023
The speaker is also rated for IP55 dust and water resistance, so it can handle hydroplaning drifts.
From The Verge ● Apr. 14, 2022
The “dynamics of the vehicles involved in the accident strongly indicate that the vehicles had much higher levels of traction than would be available in a hydroplaning situation.”
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
