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sailplane

American  
[seyl-pleyn] / ˈseɪlˌpleɪn /

noun

  1. a very light glider that can be lifted by an upward current of air.

verb (used without object)

sailplaned, sailplaning

  1. to soar in a sailplane.

sailplane British  
/ ˈseɪlˌpleɪn /

noun

  1. a high-performance glider

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of sailplane

First recorded in 1920–25; sail + plane 1

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.

Club members wanted to show me what it felt like to ride in a glider, also called a sailplane, and how it can offer a new and different perspective of the world.

From Washington Times • Apr. 12, 2017

With instruction and training, anyone can become a licensed pilot for a sailplane, Grace said.

From Washington Times • Apr. 12, 2017

A middle-aged businessman in a stiletto-winged sailplane, or conventional glider, weaves figure eights.

From Time Magazine Archive

To sailplane pilots it represents the most fascinating pinnacle of their sport.

From Time Magazine Archive

He looked at the two-place sailplane which sat on the tarmac.

From Mercenary by Birmingham, Lloyd

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.