biplane

noun

bi·​plane ˈbī-ˌplān How to pronounce biplane (audio)
: an aircraft with two main supporting surfaces usually placed one above the other

Examples of biplane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Mustered out from the Great War, veteran pilots — still hooked on the adrenaline rush of aerial combat — reenacted their exploits for the screen in rickety biplanes that seemed to have been stitched together from string and paper mache. Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2025 Set pieces involving a sunken submarine and buzzing biplanes amply fulfill the franchise’s main selling point. Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025 Dogfighting Drones As many observers have already noted, drone evolution in Ukraine has followed the same lines as aerial warfare in WWI, when simple biplanes were first used for scouting, then adapted for bombing, then for shooting down other aircraft and finally for fighting each other. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025 Thousands of onlookers cheered wildly as daredevil pilot Bessie Coleman arced her Curtiss Jenny biplane into a spiral above a Houston field. Victor Luckerson, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for biplane

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biplane was in 1874

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Cite this Entry

“Biplane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biplane. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

biplane

noun
bi·​plane ˈbī-ˌplān How to pronounce biplane (audio)
: an airplane with two sets of wings usually placed one above the other

More from Merriam-Webster on biplane

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