airplane

air·plane | \ ˈer-ˌplān

How to pronounce airplane (audio)

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Definition of airplane

: a powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings from which it derives most of its lift

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Examples of airplane in a Sentence

my uncle learned how to fly an airplane during World War II

Recent Examples on the Web This game would probably be an excellent friend on an airplane, as well. — Wired Staff, Wired, "The Video Games WIRED Loved Most in 2020," 26 Dec. 2020 Only 35% are prepared to travel on an airplane, while 76% were willing to meet with a friend out of doors. — Zane Sparling, oregonlive, "New poll shows most Oregonians willing to take coronavirus vaccine," 18 Dec. 2020 The classic example is that everybody is terrified of flying, and statistically speaking you will not die on an airplane. — CBS News, "Intelligence Committee member Jim Himes expresses confidence in Biden national security team," 9 Dec. 2020 When a train carrying a crucial pump needed to make vaccine for Moderna's latest trial became stalled on its tracks, the military found it on the train and put it on an airplane. — USA Today, "Deliver a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year? Impossible. Meet Moncef Slaoui.," 1 Dec. 2020 Seladis did contract maintenance on the airplane and was in possession of the aircraft logbooks, and attempts to retrieve those were unsuccessful, the report says. — Caleb Jones And Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Star Tribune, "Feds release details about deadly skydiving crash in Hawaii," 28 Oct. 2020 Masud is now charged with the destruction of an aircraft resulting in death and the destruction of an airplane with explosives. — Jerry Dunleavy, Washington Examiner, "DOJ charges alleged Lockerbie bomb-maker in 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 terror attack," 21 Dec. 2020 The Soviets shot down an American airplane over their territory, which U.S. authorities claimed had been a weather plane that flew off course after suffering difficulties. — James Carroll, The New Yorker, "What the Era of Trump and the Coronavirus May Teach America’s Children," 21 Dec. 2020 Agosto spent six months of every year with each parent, traveling alone between them by airplane. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Faces of the arts shutdown: Actor Andréa Agosto: ‘I want that sense of normalcy back’," 20 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'airplane.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near airplane

airplane hostess

Statistics for airplane

Last Updated

14 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Airplane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airplane. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for airplane

airplane

noun

English Language Learners Definition of airplane

US : a machine that has wings and an engine and that flies through the air

See the full definition for airplane in the English Language Learners Dictionary

airplane

air·plane | \ ˈer-ˌplān

\

Kids Definition of airplane

: an aircraft with wings which do not move, that is heavier than air, is driven by a propeller or jet engine, and is supported by the action of the air against its wings

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