airplane

noun

air·​plane ˈer-ˌplān How to pronounce airplane (audio)
Synonyms of airplanenext
: a powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings from which it derives most of its lift

Illustration of airplane

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

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

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 And wind shear—the sudden change in wind strength or direction, over a short distance—at airplane cruising altitudes has increased by 15 percent since 1979, a trend expected to further increase by between 17 percent and 29 percent by the end of the century. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2024 The airplane is an Airbus A320, with 148 passengers on board, and five crew members. —Bradford Betz, Fox News, 27 May 2024 About 100 workers who clean airplane cabins and drive trash trucks at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, started a 24-hour strike Thursday, demanding better pay and healthcare, according to the Service Employees International Union. —David Koenig, Fortune, 24 May 2024 With private airplanes grounded in Vegas, the Saudis nonetheless prepared their escape. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for airplane 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'airplane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of aeroplane

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of airplane was in 1906

Phrases Containing airplane

Dictionary Entries Near airplane

air pistol

airplane

airplane cloth

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Airplane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airplane. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

airplane

noun
air·​plane ˈa(ə)r-ˌplān How to pronounce airplane (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on airplane

Nglish: Translation of airplane for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of airplane for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about airplane

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Absent Letters That Are Heard Anyway
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

The Words of the Week - May 31

9 Superb Owl Words

10 Words for Lesser-Known Games and Sports

Etymologies for Every Day of the Week
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A crossword with a twist
winning words from the national spelling bee logo
Spelling Bee Quiz Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...