airplane
nounverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈɛəˌpleɪ̯n//
- United States//ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n//
A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.
noun
- 1
A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.
on an airplane
jet airplane
RC airplane
- 2
A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor. One that can carry a person or persons.
They use airplanes to deliver mail and supplies to the far northern villages.
- 3
Any of various small flyable objects that are notionally comparable to such aircraft but aren't powered.
toy airplane
paper airplane
- 4
A game to encourage small children to eat, in which the parent or carer pretends that a spoonful of food is an aircraft flying into the child's mouth; the spoonful itself.
Near-synonym: choo-choo train
Here comes the airplane! Open wide!
So, he'd take a spoon and he'd start playing airplane, circling the spoon around in the air until it was ready to land in the runway of my mouth.
Willis wondered what this fellow wanted to do, spoon feed him? Play airplane?
Etymology
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 -ος (-os) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplaneclip. English plane English airplane From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.
verb
- 1
To fly in an aeroplane.
- 2
To transport by aeroplane.
Forms
- plural
- airplanes
- past tense
- airplaned
- past participle
- airplaned
- present participle
- airplaning
- third person singular
- airplanes
airplane · A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings: a fixed-wing aircraft with at least one engine or electric motor.
airport · An airfield (an area designated for the takeoff and landing…Airport · A census-designated place in Stanislaus County, California,…airs · Affected manners intended to impress others.