airplane

noun

air·​plane ˈer-ˌplān 

: a powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings from which it derives most of its lift

Illustration of airplane

• 1 weather radar
• 2 cockpit
• 3 jet engine
• 4 engine pod
• 5 pylon
• 6 wing
• 7 vertical stabilizer
• 8 rudder
• 9 10 tabs
• 11 elevator
• 12 horizontal stabilizer
• 13 inboard flap
• 14 inboard spoiler
• 15 16 tabs
• 17 aileron
• 18 outboard flap
• 19 outboard spoiler
• 20 sound suppressor
• 21 thrust reverser
• 22 cabin air intake
• 23 fuselage
• 24 nose landing gear

Synonyms

• aeroplane [chiefly British]
• plane

Examples of airplane in a Sentence

my uncle learned how to fly an airplane while serving in the air force

Recent Examples on the Web

Emma Green reports » The state of airline safety: The President has begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees, even as airplane accidents are occurring at an alarming frequency. —Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025

Most of the 62 total airplane accidents were on private flights, and that total number was 18 less than the 80 recorded in January 2024. —Harry Enten, CNN, 19 Feb. 2025

Soon after, the group was commissioned by the Broadway producer Michael Myerberg to design a discothèque in a former airplane hangar at Roosevelt Field, on Long Island. —J. Hoberman, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Recent airplane incidents and near misses across the country have raised concerns about safety protocols. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of aeroplane

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing airplane

• airplane mode

Rhymes for airplane

• abstain
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign
• cetane

Kids Definition

airplane

noun

air·​plane ˈa(ə)r-ˌplān 

ˈe(ə)r-

: a fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft that is driven by a propeller or by a forceful stream of gases backward and is supported by the reaction of the air against its wings