aeroplane

noun

aero·​plane ˈer-ə-ˌplān 

plural aeroplanes

British

: airplane

One day it may be possible to devise a way of keeping birds away from aeroplanes, although for the moment the best approach seems to be to keep aeroplanes away from birds.

—Nature

A special airmail flight will be made on 6 August 1989 to commemorate the first aeroplane crossing of a major body of water in Australia by Captain Harry Butler.

—Australian Stamp Bulletin

Synonyms

• airplane
• plane

Examples of aeroplane in a Sentence

an exhibit of a few of the aeroplanes that won the Battle of Britain

Recent Examples on the Web

It is inspired by the extraordinary real-life story of Mathias Rust, a young West German teenager in 1987 who shocked the world by flying through Soviet air defences and landed a Cessna aeroplane right in the middle of the Red Square. —Annika Pham, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025

This is especially true with the lower circulating oxygen levels on an aeroplane, in people with breathing problems or when combined with alcohol. —Brian Dillon, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

An aeroplane flies behind the Adani logo near a building construction site in Mumbai. —Sam Meredith, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2024

As the bereaved families of those who died in Boeing aeroplane crashes gathered around a screen, there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the room. —David Faris, Newsweek, 9 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French aéroplane, from aéro- aero- + -plane, probably from feminine of plan "flat, level," borrowed from Latin plānus — more at floor entry 1

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aeroplane

• aeroplane mode

Rhymes for aeroplane

• appertain
• ascertain
• capitaine
• cassegrain
• cellophane
• chatelaine
• counterpane
• entertain
• gethsemane
• halothane
• hurricane
• hyperplane

Kids Definition

aeroplane

aero·​plane ˈar-ə-ˌplān 

ˈer-

chiefly British variant of airplane