plane

¹ American  

[pleyn] / pleɪn /

noun

1. a flat or level surface.

2. Geometry. a surface generated by a straight line moving at a constant velocity with respect to a fixed point.

3. Fine Arts. an area of a two-dimensional surface having determinate extension and spatial direction or position.

   oblique plane; horizontal plane.

4. a level of dignity, character, existence, development, or the like.

   a high moral plane.

   Synonyms:

   stage, stratum

5. Aeronautics.

   1. an airplane or a hydroplane.

      to take a plane to Dallas.

   2. a thin, flat or curved, extended section of an airplane or a hydroplane, affording a supporting surface.

6. Architecture. a longitudinal section through the axis of a column.

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adjective

1. flat or level, as a surface.

   Synonyms:

   flush, even, smooth

2. of or relating to planes or plane figures.

verb (used without object)

planed, planing

1. to glide or soar.

2. (of a boat) to rise partly out of the water when moving at high speed.

3. Informal. to fly or travel in an airplane.

   We'll drive to Detroit and plane to Los Angeles.

plane ² American  

[pleyn] / pleɪn /

noun

1. Carpentry. any of various woodworking instruments for paring, truing, or smoothing, or for forming moldings, chamfers, rabbets, grooves, etc., by means of an inclined, adjustable blade moved along and against the piece being worked.

2. a trowellike tool for smoothing the surface of clay in a brick mold.

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verb (used with object)

planed, planing

1. to smooth or dress with or as if with a plane or a planer.

2. to remove by or as if by means of a plane (usually followed by away oroff ).

verb (used without object)

planed, planing

1. to work with a plane.

2. to function as a plane.

plane ³ American  

[pleyn] / pleɪn /

noun

1. plane tree.

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plane ¹ British  

/ pleɪn /

noun

1. See plane tree

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plane ² British  

/ pleɪn /

noun

1. maths a flat surface in which a straight line joining any two of its points lies entirely on that surface

2. a flat or level surface

3. a level of existence, performance, attainment, etc

4. 1. short for aeroplane

   2. a wing or supporting surface of an aircraft or hydroplane

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adjective

1. level or flat

2. maths (of a curve, figure, etc) lying entirely in one plane

verb

1. to fly without moving wings or using engines; glide

2. (of a boat) to rise partly and skim over the water when moving at a certain speed

3. to travel by aeroplane

plane ³ British  

/ pleɪn /

noun

1. a tool with an adjustable sharpened steel blade set obliquely in a wooden or iron body, for levelling or smoothing timber surfaces, cutting mouldings or grooves, etc

2. a flat tool, usually metal, for smoothing the surface of clay or plaster in a mould

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verb

1. to level, smooth, or cut (timber, wooden articles, etc) using a plane or similar tool

2. (often foll by off) to remove using a plane

plane Scientific  

/ plān /

1. A two-dimensional surface, any two of whose points can be joined by a straight line that lies entirely in the surface.

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1. Lying in a plane:

plane Cultural  

1. A geometrical location having only two dimensions — length and width (no height). (See coordinates and plane geometry.)

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Usage

What does plane mean? In geometry, a plane  is a flat, two-dimensional surface with an infinite height and width. It’s one of the basic concepts of geometry. Think of a flat sheet of paper. A physical sheet of paper has three dimensions: length, width, and (a small) height. If that sheet of paper had zero height and its length and width extended forever, it would be a plane. Obviously, such a shape is theoretical—it’s used as a basis for geometric calculations. A plane is one of several basic concepts students need to begin to understand geometry. Another is a point. Unlike a plane, it has no dimensions, such as length or width. It is found by using coordinates. A third concept is a line. Like a plane, a line also extends forever but only in two directions. Understanding what a plane is matters because angles and two-dimensional shapes, such as squares, triangles, and circles, are represented as points, lines, and line segments on a plane. It also helps you understand three-dimensional space and three-dimensional objects, which have height as well as length and width. Plane has several other meanings, some of which have different roots. More generally, it can refer to any flat or level surface.

Other Word Forms

• planeness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of plane¹

First recorded in 1400–50 plane ¹ ( for def. 9 ) (in the sense “to soar”); 1640–50 for noun and adjective senses; (noun) from Latin plānum “flat surface” (noun use of plānus “flat”); (adjective) from Latin plānus; first used to distinguish the geometrical senses formerly belonging to plain ¹; plane ¹ ( in def. 5 ), shortened form of airplane, aeroplane, or hydroplane; (verb) late Middle English planen “(of a bird) to soar” (compare Middle French planer ); akin to plain ¹

Origin of plane²

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English noun plane, plaine, pleine, from Middle French plan(n)e, Old French plaine, plane or directly from Late Latin plāna “plane, adze,” derivative of plānāre “to smooth,” itself derivative of Latin plānus plain ¹; Middle English verb plane(n), plaine, pleine, from Middle French planer or directly from Late Latin plānāre

Origin of plane³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plane, plaine, from Middle French plane, Old French pleine, plane, from Latin platanus, from Greek plátanos, derivative of platýs “wide, broad, flat” (with reference to the leaves)

Explanation

A plane is a vehicle that flies through the air, but it is also a tool used to make something smooth and flat, a kind of tree or a level surface. As a verb, to plane something is to make it flat and smooth. Don't confuse plane with plain, an adjective that means "simple" or a noun that means "flat land," like the plains of the American Midwest. This can be tricky because plane describes something that is flat and level, or the tool or action that makes something flat and level. If you remember that plain applies only to landforms, the difference will be plain to see — meaning obvious.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plane planed planing

More than 5,200 firefighters, police and soldiers have been deployed to the region, along with 18 firefighting aircraft, including a military transport plane that was fitted with a temporary tank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

If your pilot suddenly keeled over, would you trust their spouse to fly the plane?

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

The plane features a new Trump-designed livery in red, white and navy blue, in a change from the previous white and light blue.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Everyone onboard survived the impact - but passengers struggled to locate life vests and rafts as the plane rapidly sank.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

After we checked in and picked up the food our plane had dropped, we traveled for half an hour and made camp.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Over the following months the wood is cut, settled, rounded, spliced, planed, fitted with a brass tip and leather pad, sanded in nine different ways, oiled, and finally waxed, before being complete.

From BBC ● May 2, 2025

The wood-framed walls and beams were planed to feel as soft to the touch as satin sheets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2023

Every time we managed to summit a dune, following a sand ridge perfectly planed by the wind and sinking with each step, another beckoned us ahead.

From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2023

Firefighters planed to use bulldozers to create fire lines protecting Wawona, she said.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 10, 2022

Each plank he planed, each nail he drove, each thing he made had molded him.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

"Everybody is frustrated that we didn't get long planing runs," Carroll said on the slipway as Bluebird was towed back into the engineering tent for the final time.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

Garfield is goodness personified; we meet him on his farm, cooking breakfast for the family, planing wood to make a picnic table.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

The proportion of businesses planing to raise prices fell five points to 49%.

From Reuters ● Jan. 11, 2022

On a wet morning in late October, the sound of electrical sanders whirring and the steady thunks of a craftsman planing a chair leg echoed through one of Century Furniture’s cavernous warehouses.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2021

Then with a planing tool, he carefully smoothed away the surface of the design so that the colored clay was completely level with the body of the vase itself.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Related Words

• airplane
• craft
• jet
• ship