Illustration of plane
- 3plane
1
a
[by shortening]
: airplane
b
: one of the main supporting surfaces of an airplane
2
a
: a surface in which if any two points are chosen a straight line joining them lies wholly in that surface
b
: a flat or level surface
3
: a level of existence, consciousness, or development
on the intellectual plane
planed; planing
1
a
: to make smooth or even : level
b
: to make smooth or even by use of a plane
2
: to remove by or as if by planing
—often used with away or off
planer
noun
: any of a genus (Platanus of the family Platanaceae, the plane-tree family) of chiefly deciduous trees with large palmately lobed leaves, flowers in globose heads, and usually scaling bark
called also buttonwood, plane tree, sycamore
planed; planing
1
a
: to fly while keeping the wings motionless
b
: to skim across the surface of the water
2
: to travel by airplane
Synonyms of plane
Examples of plane in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a plane flew overhead
Verb (1)
planed the wood for the picnic table perfectly smooth so that no one would get splinters
Verb (2)
an eagle planed effortlessly overhead, gliding on an air current
Adjective
you can do these tracings on any plane surface
Recent Examples on the Web
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
27 June 2026
On Friday afternoon a small plane appeared to evade some of the world’s strictest aviation controls and slam into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, the 109-story CITIC Tower that dominates the city’s skyline, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people.
—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
Photos shared by firefighters on social media showed that some of the plane's landing gear appeared to detach during the crash.
—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
27 June 2026
Travelers exited the plane at an airport gate as normal, the airline said.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for plane
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Literally watching practices, on the team plane, on road games.
—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
27 June 2026
On Friday afternoon a small plane appeared to evade some of the world’s strictest aviation controls and slam into the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, the 109-story CITIC Tower that dominates the city’s skyline, killing the pilot and injuring 13 other people.
—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
Photos shared by firefighters on social media showed that some of the plane's landing gear appeared to detach during the crash.
—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
27 June 2026
Travelers exited the plane at an airport gate as normal, the airline said.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for plane
Cite this Entry
“Plane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plane. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plane
1 of 5 verb
planed; planing
1
: to make smooth or level especially with a plane
2
: to remove by planing
—often used with away or off
planer
noun
plane
2 of 5 noun
: a tool for smoothing or shaping wood
plane
3 of 5 noun1
a
: a surface in which a straight line joining any two points on the surface also lies completely on the surface
b
: a flat or level surface
2
: a level of existence or development
on the intellectual plane
3
a
: one of the main supporting surfaces of an airplane
b
: airplane
plane
4 of 5 adjective1
: having no elevations or depressions : flat
2
a
: of, relating to, or dealing with planes
plane geometry
b
: lying within a plane
a plane curve
plane
5 of 5 verb
planed; planing
1
: to fly while keeping the wings still
2
: to travel by airplane
Etymology
Verb
Middle English planen "to make smooth or level," from early French planer (same meaning), derived from Latin planus "level" — related to plain entry 1
Adjective
from Latin planus "level"
Verb
from French planer "to fly while keeping the wings motionless," from plain "level, plain"; so called from the fact that the wings of a soaring bird form a level surface
Medical Definition
plane
noun1
a
: a surface that contains at least three points not all in a straight line and is such that a line drawn through any two points in it lies wholly in the surface
b
: an imaginary plane used to identify parts of the body or a part of the skull see frankfort horizontal plane, midsagittal plane
2
: a stage in surgical anesthesia
a light plane of anesthesia is maintained with cyclopropane—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
