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

• plane
• aeroplane [chiefly British]
• 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

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York City, Washington, DC, and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after 19 al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four US commercial airplanes bound for West Coast destinations. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025

Their work promises smaller, faster, and more affordable chips used in everything from smartphones to airplanes. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025

The drawing shows a sketch of an airplane and contains multiple calculations and notes, court records show. —Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

Perhaps the easiest was an airplane flying overhead. —Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2025

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