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triplane

American

[trahy-pleyn] / ˈtraɪˌpleɪn /

an airplane with three supporting wings, one above another: a design used mainly in the early history of the airplane.

triplane British

/ ˈtraɪˌpleɪn /

noun

an aeroplane having three wings arranged one above the other

"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 triplane

First recorded in 1905–10; tri- + 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.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘I had to have something else, just to keep my brain alive’: in his Fokker Dr1 triplane.

From The Guardian • Sep. 6, 2015

“I get to shoot down a Fokker triplane every Sunday afternoon,” said air show director Chris Bulko, who flew the Spad.

From Washington Times • Aug. 1, 2014

On a shelf were more models like the Red Baron’s Fokker triplane, and a World War II ship, as my dad had been in the Navy.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2010

I still have several of his planes, including the Red Baron’s triplane and the Gotha.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2010

The weekly mail-boat from Belize to New York was speeding up the Florida Channel when the officer of the watch made out a large triplane ahead of him.

From Aliens by McFee, William

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