airplane

noun

air·​plane ˈer-ˌplān How to pronounce airplane (audio)
: a powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings from which it derives most of its lift

Illustration of airplane

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

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
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.
This phone mount can attach to almost anything—an airplane tray table, your luggage handle, a desk, and more. Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2025 The media industry is far from the days when coaches welcomed an airplane full of sportswriters for a promotional tour half a century ago. Chris Vannini, New York Times, 11 July 2025 There are real-looking airplanes on runways with proper lighting and even cracks visible in the virtual pavement. Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 11 July 2025 Could this crash, and several other high-profile airplane accidents since then, have been avoided if artificial intelligence were running air traffic control (ATC) alongside human controllers? Adrienne Bernhard, Scientific American, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for airplane

Word History

Etymology

alteration of aeroplane

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of airplane was in 1906

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Airplane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airplane. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

airplane

noun
air·​plane ˈa(ə)r-ˌplān How to pronounce airplane (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on airplane

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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