airplane
Americannoun
-
a heavier-than-air aircraft kept aloft by the upward thrust exerted by the passing air on its fixed wings and driven by propellers, jet propulsion, etc.
-
any similar heavier-than-air aircraft, as a glider or helicopter.
noun
Other Word Forms
- proairplane adjective
Etymology
Origin of airplane
1870–75, for an earlier sense; alteration of aeroplane, with air 1 replacing aero-
Compare meaning
How does airplane compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
The restrictions are part of a nationwide “safety review of airports with mixed helicopter and airplane traffic,” the agency said.
From Los Angeles Times
Previous marketing has included outdoor displays mocking the web’s “I’m not a robot” captcha tests and a campaign lauding humanity’s advances like the invention of the airplane.
A Los Angeles police officer who said he was too injured to complete any work was not too injured to jump out of airplanes, prosecutors allege.
From Los Angeles Times
After a few hours playing with it, I see how it could be an essential security tool—and also shield your fellow airplane passengers from that graphic HBO binge-watch.
The bodies were then transported by airplane to Mexico City and handed over to the General Prosecutor's Office.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
