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

When it’s officially spun off from its parent company later this month, Honeywell Aerospace will be aggressively pushing its advantages in avionics, engine control systems and a host of technologies from the nose to tail of commercial airplanes, business jets and military aircraft. —Phil Lebeau,meghan Reeder, CNBC, 3 June 2026

Longood controlled him for another 20 to 30 minutes until the airplane made its emergency landing in Miami. —Drew Pittock, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Future sensors SpaceX's satellites won't replace the current airplanes that the military uses to track moving targets. —Julian Dossett, Space.com, 2 June 2026

And passing overhead is a constant barrage of airplanes as the city sits directly beneath the airport’s flight path, but the noise is hardly bothersome. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 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