airplane mode
noun
variants
US airplane mode
or British aeroplane mode
: an operating mode for an electronic device (such as a mobile phone) in which the device does not connect to wireless networks and cannot send or receive communications (such as calls or text messages) or access the Internet but remains usable for other functions
Today [in 2009], airlines may let passengers use newer-model cell phones in what's called "airplane" mode, which essentially disables the transmission function so they can't make calls. … FAA guidance allows cell phone calls once the plane has landed and is taxiing to the gate.—
Air Safety Week
Air Safety WeekNow, I do all I can to ensure that I have a calm and productive morning. I keep my phone in the kitchen overnight, often not turning it off airplane mode until I start work.—Benjamin Spall
Benjamin SpallExamples of airplane mode in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man’s phone was powered off or in airplane mode during multiple burglaries.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2025
Nothing’s worse than flicking over to airplane mode and finding your phone is suddenly useless.
—David Pierce, WIRED, 23 Nov. 2024
Your device is offline or in airplane mode during the search, so agents can't access anything online like your email.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 15 May 2025
But the phone’s location tracking showed the phone was not stationary at City Hall but actually traveled from City Hall, past Washington Square Park and then north to 29th Street before it was either put in airplane mode or turned off, the documents say.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for airplane mode
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Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2025
Nothing’s worse than flicking over to airplane mode and finding your phone is suddenly useless.
—David Pierce, WIRED, 23 Nov. 2024
Your device is offline or in airplane mode during the search, so agents can't access anything online like your email.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 15 May 2025
But the phone’s location tracking showed the phone was not stationary at City Hall but actually traveled from City Hall, past Washington Square Park and then north to 29th Street before it was either put in airplane mode or turned off, the documents say.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for airplane mode
Cite this Entry
“Airplane mode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airplane%20mode. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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