airplane
n. countablen. a vehicle with wings and an engine that flies through the air. You use it to travel long distances quickly between cities or countries.
n. a powered, fixed-wing aircraft that is heavier than air and propelled by jet engines or propellers.
The airplane lands safely at the airport.
We watched the airplane take off from the runway and disappear into the clouds.
Modern airplane design focuses heavily on fuel efficiency and noise reduction to meet increasingly strict international environmental standards.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air ▲ Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplaneclip. English plane English airplane From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.
Commonly used in American English; 'aeroplane' is the standard spelling in British English.
I travel by an airplaneI travel by airplaneWhen using 'by' to describe a mode of transport, the noun is used without an article.