plane

noun

/pleɪn/

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(British English also aeroplane)
(also airplane especially in North American English)
a flying vehicle with wings and one or more engines
- a passenger/fighter/military/private plane
- They boarded the plane and flew to Chicago.
- I caught the next plane to Dublin.
- The plane took off an hour late.
- The plane landed in Geneva.
- to fly a plane
- by plane She left by plane for Berlin.
- a plane ticket
- a plane crash
- a plane ride/flight/journey
Homophones plain | plane
plain plane
/pleɪn/

/pleɪn/
- plain adjective
  She likes plain food, without sauces or cheese.
- plain noun
  Wheat is still grown on the Lombardy plain.
- plane noun
  They recently flew into London on a private plane.
- plane verb
  You may need to plane the surface for a smoother fit.
Collocations Travel and tourism
Travel and tourismHolidays/vacations
- have/take (British English) a holiday/(North American English) a vacation/a break/a day off/(British English) a gap year
- go on/be on holiday/vacation/leave/honeymoon/safari/a trip/a tour/a cruise/a pilgrimage
- go backpacking/camping/hitchhiking/sightseeing
- plan a trip/a holiday/a vacation/your itinerary
- book accommodation/a hotel room/a flight/tickets
- have/make/cancel a reservation/(especially British English) booking
- rent a villa/(both British English) a holiday home/a holiday cottage
- (especially British English) hire/ (especially North American English) rent a car/bicycle/moped
- stay in a hotel/a bed and breakfast/a youth hostel/a villa/(both British English) a holiday home/a caravan
- cost/charge $100 a/per night for a single/double/twin/standard/(British English) en suite room
- check into/out of a hotel/a motel/your room
- pack/unpack your suitcase/bags
- call/order room service
- cancel/cut short a trip/holiday/vacation
Foreign travel
- apply for/get/renew a/your passport
- take out/buy/get travel insurance
- catch/miss your plane/train/ferry/connecting flight
- fly (in)/travel in business/economy class
- make/have a brief/two-day/twelve-hour stopover/(North American English also) layover in Hong Kong
- experience/cause/lead to delays
- check (in)/collect/get/lose (your) (especially British English) luggage/(especially North American English) baggage
- be charged for/pay excess baggage
- board/get on/leave/get off the aircraft/plane/ship/ferry
- taxi down/leave/approach/hit/overshoot the runway
- experience/hit/encounter severe turbulence
- suffer from/recover from/get over your jet lag/travel sickness
The tourist industry
- attract/draw/bring tourists/visitors
- encourage/promote/hurt tourism
- promote/develop ecotourism
- build/develop/visit a tourist/holiday/(especially British English) seaside/beach/ski resort
- work for/be operated by a major hotel chain
- be served by/compete with low-cost/(especially North American English) low-fare/budget airlines
- book something through/make a booking through/use a travel agent
- contact/check with your travel agent/tour operator
- book/be on/go on a package deal/holiday/tour
- buy/bring back (tacky/overpriced) souvenirs
Wordfinder
- cabin crew
- charter
- flight path
- in-flight
- land
- long-haul
- plane
- refuel
- take-off
- travel
Extra Examples
- I've never flown in a plane.
- She caught the first plane out.
- The Soviets shot down our U-2 spy plane.
- The plane was carrying 350 people.
- The plane was cruising at 20 000 feet.
- The president was never on the plane at all.
- We left by plane for Beijing.
- a military cargo plane
- the first generation of passenger planes, like the Boeing 707
Topics Transport by aira1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- light
- small
- commercial
- …
verb + plane
- catch
- get
- take
- …
plane + verb
- take off
- come down
- land
- …
plane + noun
- crash
- ticket
preposition
- by plane
- in a/the plane
- on a/the plane
- …
See full entry
(geometry) any flat or level surface, or an imaginary flat surface through or joining material objects
- the horizontal/vertical plane
- We may describe uniquely any point in a plane by an ordered pair of numbers, called coordinates.
Topics Maths and measurementc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- flat
- horizontal
- parallel
- …
See full entry
a level of thought, existence or development
- With practice, an athlete can reach a higher plane of achievement.
- They seem to exist on a different spiritual plane.
- Like all talented musicians, he operates on a different plane from most people.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- higher
- mental
- spiritual
- …
phrases
- be on a different plane
- operate on a different plane
See full entry
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a tool with a blade (= sharp metal part) set in a flat surface, used for making the surface of wood smooth by cutting very thin layers off it

Word Originnoun sense 1 early 20th cent.: shortened form. noun senses 2 to 3 early 17th cent.: from Latin planum ‘flat surface’, neuter of the adjective planus ‘plain’. The adjective was suggested by French plan(e) ‘flat’. The word was introduced to differentiate the geometrical senses, previously expressed by plain, from its other meanings. noun sense 4 Middle English: from a variant of obsolete French plaine ‘planing instrument’, from late Latin plana (in the same sense), from Latin planare ‘make level’, from planus ‘plain, level’.

plane

verb

/pleɪn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they plane	/pleɪn/ /pleɪn/
he / she / it planes	/pleɪnz/ /pleɪnz/
past simple planed	/pleɪnd/ /pleɪnd/
past participle planed	/pleɪnd/ /pleɪnd/
-ing form planing	/ˈpleɪnɪŋ/ /ˈpleɪnɪŋ/

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[transitive] to make a piece of wood smoother or flatter with a plane
- plane something Plane the surface down first.
- plane something + adj. Then plane the wood smooth.
Homophones plain | plane
plain plane
/pleɪn/

/pleɪn/
- plain adjective
  She likes plain food, without sauces or cheese.
- plain noun
  Wheat is still grown on the Lombardy plain.
- plane noun
  They recently flew into London on a private plane.
- plane verb
  You may need to plane the surface for a smoother fit.
[intransitive] (of a bird) to fly without moving the wings, especially high up in the air
[intransitive] (of a boat, etc.) to move quickly across water, only just touching the surface
- The boat planed past in clouds of spray.

Word Originverb sense 1 Middle English: from a variant of obsolete French plaine ‘planing instrument’, from late Latin plana (in the same sense), from Latin planare ‘make level’, from planus ‘plain, level’. verb senses 2 to 3 early 17th cent.: from Latin planum ‘flat surface’, neuter of the adjective planus ‘plain’. The adjective was suggested by French plan(e) ‘flat’. The word was introduced to differentiate the geometrical senses, previously expressed by plain, from its other meanings.