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:
Lean your chest forward while extending the other leg behind you like an airplane.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
That you don’t want to be accepting fancy pens or, like, gorgeous gold earrings or an airplane, which wasn’t invented yet.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
"Whenever I looked at the sky I imagined myself flying an airplane and seeing the world from above. I wanted to fly freely and experience a world without limits," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The FAA review found the president’s airplane was as close as 1.06 miles laterally and 300 feet vertically from the American regional jet, according to the agency document.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
On the long flight back to Washington, D.C., he stood in the back of his windowless military airplane, arguing about the situation with Bob Komer, one of President Johnson’s aides on Vietnam.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
“This transaction is a win-win for Boeing and Archer,” said Brian Yutko, Boeing vice president of commercial airplanes product development, in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Boeing is introducing changes to the manufacturing process that addresses the root cause of the unsafe condition on in-production airplanes, the FAA said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The company said Monday it is "readying the first airplanes" for delivery to launch customer Southwest Airlines.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The total company backlog, which rose to a record $715 billion, included over 6,200 commercial airplanes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Diarrhea.” “...is a very cool place for airplanes to take off and land,” Travis finished.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
