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 of airplane

• plane
• aeroplane
• airliner

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

Gas surges to highest level since 2022 As the cost of crude climbs, so do the prices of gasoline and other fuel that keep equipment, cars, buses, delivery trucks and airplanes running. —Mae Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026

At that moment, Desplechin cuts to Mathias, studying a score on an airplane, ending the scene between Claude and Pierre just when it was just getting started. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026

In a teardrop configuration, air flows smoothly around the widest point and rejoins cleanly in its wake, creating minimal turbulence, similar to the cross-section of an airplane wing. —Bill Gourgey, Popular Science, 29 Apr. 2026

Most of the airplanes on display are on loan from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or the General Services Administration. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026

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