airplane
Americannoun
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airplanes
plural
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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.
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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:
"The pilots remain in control of the airplane," Bedford said of the new software defect.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Federal Aviation Administration told airplane passengers to check its website for travel updates, telling AFP there is "always a chance for restrictions depending on the weather."
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
The airplane was not recovered from the ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
As takeoff neared, the flight attendant reminded passengers to put their devices on airplane mode to disable wireless transmission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It was a new model airplane, I knew right away.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
The kinds of actuators currently made at scale in the U.S. are designed for airplanes or cars, experts say.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Airships—even when filled with nonexplosive helium—couldn’t compete with the speedier airplanes, which would become more economical to build and operate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Soybean oil becomes biodiesel and aviation fuel, powering school buses and commercial airplanes.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
He could also recite statistics on the percentage of Iran’s missiles, ships, airplanes, etc., we’ve destroyed in the six-month war.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
She didn’t understand how airplanes flew, and she didn’t understand how ships floated.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
