airplane

Pluralairplanes

Formsairplanes, airplaning, airplaned

1. 1
   flying machinenouncountable

   A powered aircraft that is heavier than air and has fixed wings.

   The airplane circled the airport twice before it was cleared to land.

   Early airplanes were built from wood, wire, and stretched fabric.

   Similarplane, aircraft, aeroplane

   Note

   This spelling began as an alteration of the older aeroplane, with everyday air standing in for aero-. It is chiefly the form of the United States, Canada and the Philippines; writers elsewhere usually keep aeroplane, so the spelling is a quick sign of which variety of English a text follows. Pick one and hold to it: a page that mixes them looks unedited.

2. 2
   feeding gamenoununcountable

   A game for coaxing a small child to eat, in which a parent or caregiver pretends that a spoonful of food is an aircraft flying into the child's mouth.

   By the third night of teething, she was reduced to playing airplane with a spoonful of mashed carrots.

   Playing airplane worked for about three bites before the baby lost interest.

   Note

   Here the word names a game, so it takes the verb play and no article: a parent plays airplane, or plays airplane with the spoon. The spoon is the plane, circling in the air until it lands in the child's mouth, which becomes the runway. Like the aircraft, it is chiefly American, Canadian and Philippine usage.

3. 3
   travel by flightverbintransitive

   To travel through the air in a plane.

   Most of the delegates will airplane in on Friday, but a few are driving.

   In those days, airplaning across the country still felt like an adventure.

   Similarfly

4. 4
   carry by flightverbtransitive

   To transport people or goods by plane.

   Growers airplane fresh flowers to markets thousands of miles away.

   When the road washed out, the army airplaned food and fuel into the valley.

   Similarfly, airlift

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