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

In fact, topography made this impossible, and Costa had to curve one of the axes, resulting in the airplane shape that made his project famous. —Sophia La Banca, JSTOR Daily, 11 Mar. 2026

Production of new 737 MAX airplanes continues at the existing rate, Boeing said. —Bloomberg, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026

Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones Deal Powered by two processors and eight microphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5 give you industry-leading noise cancellation that effectively eliminates the sound of traffic, office chatter, or airplane engines. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026

An airplane that crashed in the northern Colorado mountains in February, killing all four people on board, was approaching the Steamboat Springs Airport on a path not authorized for night use while flying too low to clear the mountain peak, according to federal officials. —Katie Langford, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 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