taxies

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of taxi.

   The airliner taxies to the runway as the crew finishes its checks.

   A cargo plane taxies past the terminal toward the freight apron.

   Note

   Two verbs share this form, and the airfield one does double duty. A pilot taxies the aircraft, which is the transitive use, and the aircraft taxies, which is the intransitive one. Both describe movement on the ground under the plane's own power. The other verb means simply riding in a cab. Unlike the noun plural, this spelling is fully standard here.

   The captain taxies the jet slowly toward the gate.

   After the meeting she taxies back across town to her hotel.

2. 2
   nounnonstandard

   Plural of taxi, a less common spelling. Most writers use taxis.

   Dozens of taxies idled at the curb as the conference let out.

   After the concert, the taxies disappeared within minutes.

   Note

   A spelling that borrows from the verb. Taxies is the ordinary -s form of taxi as a verb, but as the plural of the noun it counts as nonstandard. In edited writing, more than one cab is usually spelled taxis. Keep taxies for the verb form, as in a plane that taxies to the gate, and the two uses will never collide on the page.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2