Showing results for seaplane. Search instead for spyplane.

seaplane

American

[see-playn] / ˈsiˌpleɪn /

noun

an airplane provided with floats for taking off from or landing on water.

seaplane British

/ ˈsiːˌpleɪn /

noun

Also called (esp US): hydroplane. any aircraft that lands on and takes off from water

"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

Etymology

Origin of seaplane

First recorded in 1910–15; sea + 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.

See Examples For:

seaplane

Lifting off from the water on their return flight, the seaplane went into a stall-spin and sputtered into the trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

At least eight people have been rescued from a seaplane that landed in New York City's East River, authorities say.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

The waterfront then just a block behind, our couple strolled from seaplane to their suite to begin their first foray into Asia.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025

Some moments never cease to surprise, such as a full-scale seaplane being jettisoned into the pond.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2024

The investment banker Robert Greenhill likes to fly his Cessna jet to the Nantucket airport or his Cessna seaplane to his waterfront dock.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023