aeroplane

Everyday

(UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ) A flying vehicle with wings and one or more engines that carries people or goods through the air; a plane. tree →

In the lessons

Everyday and school word in the UK and Commonwealth for «plane»; in the USA and Canada it is «airplane». Appears in stories about travel, in science about forces (lift, thrust, drag) and in maths (an aeroplane flies 800 km per hour). Phrases: «by aeroplane», «a paper aeroplane», «get on an aeroplane».

Examples

• We flew to Spain in an aeroplane. tree →
• Let's make paper aeroplanes! tree →
• The aeroplane took off from the runway. tree →
• An aeroplane flies at about 900 kilometres an hour. tree →
• The aeroplane has 180 seats in 30 rows of 6. tree →
• I watched the aeroplanes landing at the airport. tree →

Note

Countable; «an aeroplane» (starts with a vowel sound). Spelling: UK «aeroplane», US «airplane»; both shorten to «plane». In maths: distance = speed × time (an aeroplane at 800 km/h for 3 hours flies 2,400 km).