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warplane

American

[wawr-pleyn] / ˈwɔrˌpleɪn /

noun

an airplane designed for, or used in, warfare.

warplane British

/ ˈwɔːˌpleɪn /

noun

Also called (US): battle plane. any aircraft designed for and used in warfare

"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 warplane

First recorded in 1910–15; war ¹ + 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.

Around him, people looked upward, searching for the warplane.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

A sudden, unusual lull in Chinese warplane flights around Taiwan began in late February, though naval activity persisted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Boeing gained prominence as a warplane manufacturer in the years before, during and after World War II. It built the B-17, a rugged bomber that a Seattle Times reporter called the Flying Fortress.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

It didn’t say what type of munition the warplane dropped.

From Washington Times • Jan. 2, 2024

And an old warplane that kids could investigate.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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