warplane

American

[wawr-playn] / 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.

See Examples For:

warplane

The multi-billion-euro project aimed not only to build an advanced warplane, but also create an integrated array of unmanned drones and a sophisticated combat computer system to link the pieces.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

Last month, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could mobilize a military response if China tried to seize Taiwan, Beijing responded with angry statements and warplane sorties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

After six decades of admiration - and later, infamy - India's most iconic warplane is finally taking its last flight on Friday.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025

And an old warplane that kids could investigate.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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