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.

The moment was so unique that U.S. and Israeli warplanes struck in full daylight.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the Houthis had developed a network to track American warplanes with observers, optics and infrared sensors whose intricacy U.S. officials didn’t entirely understand.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers, which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors, in the region.

From Barron's

The military said the operation involved six planes, including warplanes capable of carrying missiles.

From Los Angeles Times

Washington has deployed a massive military force to the Middle East, sending two aircraft carriers as well as more than a dozen other ships, a large number of warplanes and other assets to the region.

From Barron's

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