aeroplane

noun

aero·​plane ˈer-ə-ˌplān 

plural aeroplanes

British

: airplane

One day it may be possible to devise a way of keeping birds away from aeroplanes, although for the moment the best approach seems to be to keep aeroplanes away from birds.

—Nature

A special airmail flight will be made on 6 August 1989 to commemorate the first aeroplane crossing of a major body of water in Australia by Captain Harry Butler.

—Australian Stamp Bulletin

Synonyms

• airplane
• plane

Examples of aeroplane in a Sentence

an exhibit of a few of the aeroplanes that won the Battle of Britain

Recent Examples on the Web

An aeroplane flies behind the Adani logo near a building construction site in Mumbai. —Sam Meredith, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2024

As the bereaved families of those who died in Boeing aeroplane crashes gathered around a screen, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the room. —David Faris, Newsweek, 9 July 2024

While turbulence has occasionally caused aeroplanes to crash, most of those tragedies happened several decades ago before modern safety analysis techniques made flying safer. —Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 6 June 2024

The bombardment of the open town far behind the lines occupied precisely three hours and a quarter, during which a powerful fleet of aeroplanes … did not cease unloading on the town bombs weighing from 1000 lbs. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French aéroplane, from aéro- aero- + -plane, probably from feminine of plan "flat, level," borrowed from Latin plānus — more at floor entry 1

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aeroplane

• aeroplane mode

Kids Definition

aeroplane

aero·​plane ˈar-ə-ˌplān 

ˈer-

chiefly British variant of airplane