airplane
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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:
Weighed against harm that grave, an airplane is apparently a bargain.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Almásy shelters Katharine in a cave and goes off to get help, eventually evading arrest and stealing an airplane to rescue her.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Commercial airplane revenue increased 8.1% to $11.75 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sales outpace Wall Street expectations as defense business comes through while commercial airplane sales miss mark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
An airplane landed and brought food for us and the other teams.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
The total company backlog, which rose to a record $715 billion, included over 6,200 commercial airplanes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“We’ll be doing the modifications of the airplanes that are already built,” the Boeing CEO said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
"Our focus is on delivering two exceptional Air Force One airplanes for the country."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
People celebrated on roofs, on fire escapes, at watch parties in parks and bars, at Radio City Music Hall, atop buses, on the balconies of Times Square hotels, on airplanes and in subway cars.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
“We literally thought of and designed and flew the airplanes in a space of about six or eight weeks,” said British aviation pioneer Thomas Sopwith.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
