From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_262_eplaneplane1 /pleɪn/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable] 1 aircraftTTA a vehicle that flies in the air and has wings and at least one engine It is a big airline with a large fleet of planes. It’s much quicker to go by plane. She slept on the plane.2 levelLEVEL a level or standard of thought, conversation etc The two newspapers are on completely different intellectual planes.3 
toolTZ a tool that has a flat bottom with a sharp blade in it, used for making wooden surfaces smooth4 treeHBP a plane tree5 surface technicalHM a completely flat surface in geometryGRAMMAR: Patterns with plane• You usually say get on a plane: I got on a plane at 6.15 and arrived in Chicago at 10. • You can also say get in a plane: Everyone got in the plane and found their seats.• You usually say get off a plane: We were tired when we got off the plane. ‘Get out of’ is much less common. • You usually say that someone is on a plane: Take something to read on the plane.• You can also say they are in a plane: Have you ever flown in a plane?• You go somewhere by plane: It takes five hours by rail or an hour by plane. • Say go by plane or just fly. ✗Don’t say: fly by plane COLLOCATIONSverbscatch/take a planeShe caught the first plane back to New York.get on a plane (also board a plane)We got on the plane and found our seats.a plane takes off (=goes into the air)The flight attendants served drinks shortly after the plane took off.a plane lands (=moves safely down onto the ground)Because of the fog, our plane had to land at Luton.a plane touches down (=lands safely on the ground)As soon as the plane touched down on the runway, I felt better.a plane fliesSeveral planes flew overhead.a plane taxies (=moves slowly along on the ground)The plane taxied to a halt.a plane crashesTheir plane crashed shortly after take-off.a plane crash-lands (=lands in a sudden and dangerous way because of a problem)Their small plane crash-landed on a busy motorway yesterday.a plane carries passengersA plane carrying 10 civilians was shot down.fly/pilot a planeI admire the guys who flew those planes.land a plane (=bring it safely down onto the ground)The pilot managed to land the plane safely on the beach.bring a plane down (=land it)He ran out of fuel and had to bring the plane down on a road leading to the village.get off a planeWould he ever see her again after they got off the plane?shoot down a planeThe guerrillas shot down an Israeli fighter plane.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + planea private planeHe flew to Vegas in his private plane.a cargo plane (=for carrying goods)cargo planes carrying emergency supplies for victims of the earthquakea transport plane (=for carrying military equipment and soldiers)Heavily-laden transport planes can only land if there is a long runway.a military planeAir Force jets intercepted two military planes that had entered the no-fly zone.a fighter plane (=a small fast military plane)fighter planes from the Second World Wara spy planeAn unmanned US spy plane had been shot down.plane + NOUNa plane crashOver 200 people died in the plane crash. THESAURUSplane (also aeroplane British English), airplane American English a vehicle that flies in the air and has wings and at least one engineThe plane took off from John F Kennedy airport.a passenger plane carrying over 300 peopleaircraft a plane or other vehicle that can fly. Aircraft sounds more formal than planeSmoking is not allowed on board the aircraft.He was trained to fly military aircraft.jet a fast plane with a jet engineShe owns a private jet.airliner a large plane that carries peoplea commercial airlinermilitary planesbomber a plane that carries and drops bombsThe town was attacked by US and British bombers. fighter (plane) a small fast military plane that can destroy other planesThe plane was shot down by enemy fighters.He was a fighter pilot during the war.warplane a military plane that is used for fighting in the air or for dropping bombsThe area had been bombed by US warplanes.people on a planepilot someone who operates the controls of a planean airline pilotHe has a pilot’s licence.co-pilot a pilot who shares the control of a plane with the main pilotThe pilot became ill, and the co-pilot had to land the plane.captain the pilot who is in charge of an aircraftThis is your captain speaking. We will be arriving at Gatwick Airport in approximately 10 minutes. the flight crew all the people who work on a plane during a flight The flight crew asked for permission to land at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. the cabin crew the people whose job is to serve food and drinks to passengers on a planeThe cabin crew will be serving drinks shortly.flight attendant someone whose job is to serve food and drink to passengers on a planeThe flight attendant told him to go back to his seat. steward/stewardess a man/woman whose job is to serve food and drinks to passengers on a planeI asked the stewardess if I could have a blanket.
toolTZ a tool that has a flat bottom with a sharp blade in it, used for making wooden surfaces smooth4 treeHBP a plane tree5 surface technicalHM a completely flat surface in geometryGRAMMAR: Patterns with plane• You usually say get on a plane: I got on a plane at 6.15 and arrived in Chicago at 10. • You can also say get in a plane: Everyone got in the plane and found their seats.• You usually say get off a plane: We were tired when we got off the plane. ‘Get out of’ is much less common. • You usually say that someone is on a plane: Take something to read on the plane.• You can also say they are in a plane: Have you ever flown in a plane?• You go somewhere by plane: It takes five hours by rail or an hour by plane. • Say go by plane or just fly. ✗Don’t say: fly by plane COLLOCATIONSverbscatch/take a planeShe caught the first plane back to New York.get on a plane (also board a plane)We got on the plane and found our seats.a plane takes off (=goes into the air)The flight attendants served drinks shortly after the plane took off.a plane lands (=moves safely down onto the ground)Because of the fog, our plane had to land at Luton.a plane touches down (=lands safely on the ground)As soon as the plane touched down on the runway, I felt better.a plane fliesSeveral planes flew overhead.a plane taxies (=moves slowly along on the ground)The plane taxied to a halt.a plane crashesTheir plane crashed shortly after take-off.a plane crash-lands (=lands in a sudden and dangerous way because of a problem)Their small plane crash-landed on a busy motorway yesterday.a plane carries passengersA plane carrying 10 civilians was shot down.fly/pilot a planeI admire the guys who flew those planes.land a plane (=bring it safely down onto the ground)The pilot managed to land the plane safely on the beach.bring a plane down (=land it)He ran out of fuel and had to bring the plane down on a road leading to the village.get off a planeWould he ever see her again after they got off the plane?shoot down a planeThe guerrillas shot down an Israeli fighter plane.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + planea private planeHe flew to Vegas in his private plane.a cargo plane (=for carrying goods)cargo planes carrying emergency supplies for victims of the earthquakea transport plane (=for carrying military equipment and soldiers)Heavily-laden transport planes can only land if there is a long runway.a military planeAir Force jets intercepted two military planes that had entered the no-fly zone.a fighter plane (=a small fast military plane)fighter planes from the Second World Wara spy planeAn unmanned US spy plane had been shot down.plane + NOUNa plane crashOver 200 people died in the plane crash. THESAURUSplane (also aeroplane British English), airplane American English a vehicle that flies in the air and has wings and at least one engineThe plane took off from John F Kennedy airport.a passenger plane carrying over 300 peopleaircraft a plane or other vehicle that can fly. Aircraft sounds more formal than planeSmoking is not allowed on board the aircraft.He was trained to fly military aircraft.jet a fast plane with a jet engineShe owns a private jet.airliner a large plane that carries peoplea commercial airlinermilitary planesbomber a plane that carries and drops bombsThe town was attacked by US and British bombers. fighter (plane) a small fast military plane that can destroy other planesThe plane was shot down by enemy fighters.He was a fighter pilot during the war.warplane a military plane that is used for fighting in the air or for dropping bombsThe area had been bombed by US warplanes.people on a planepilot someone who operates the controls of a planean airline pilotHe has a pilot’s licence.co-pilot a pilot who shares the control of a plane with the main pilotThe pilot became ill, and the co-pilot had to land the plane.captain the pilot who is in charge of an aircraftThis is your captain speaking. We will be arriving at Gatwick Airport in approximately 10 minutes. the flight crew all the people who work on a plane during a flight The flight crew asked for permission to land at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. the cabin crew the people whose job is to serve food and drinks to passengers on a planeThe cabin crew will be serving drinks shortly.flight attendant someone whose job is to serve food and drink to passengers on a planeThe flight attendant told him to go back to his seat. steward/stewardess a man/woman whose job is to serve food and drinks to passengers on a planeI asked the stewardess if I could have a blanket. Examples from the Corpus
plane• That day also, Bert Hall shot down a plane and was wounded.• It's quicker to go by plane.• Let's try to keep the discussion on a friendly plane.• To simplify the figure, its effect is shown on a projection of the cusp on to a horizontal plane.• Their vast horizontal planes of activity could then provide a substitute horizon.• It has nothing to do with that plane you are still thinking about.on the plane• Back on the plane, now headed for Honolulu, I thought about my journey.• And the thing is, that Barry doesn't really want to get on the plane until it's all sorted out.• Such passages recorded a life lived on the plane of momentous public events; life as history.• If the moment is before a lunch on the plane, it really ought to be a Bloody Mary.• He did not sleep much on the plane.• She wasn't on the plane and West Mercia fraud squad have asked Interpol to investigate.• We were on the plane for more than ten hours.planeplane2 verb [transitive] TIif you plane a piece of wood, you make it smoother or smaller, using a plane He planed the edge of the door.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
plane• Mark then spent a week on the waterfront carefully planing down the telegraph poles to the right shape.• Seagulls swooped and planed overhead laying raucous claim to some scrap of food in the possession of one of them.• Joints have to fit exactly and surfaces are planed to the millimetre or the defects are painfully audible.planeplane3 adjective [only before noun] technicalFLAT completely flat and smooth a plane surfaceOrigin plane1 1. (1900-2000) aeroplane2. (1600-1700) Latin planum, from planus; → PLAIN13. (1300-1400) Old French Late Latin plana, from planare; → PLANE24. (1300-1400) French Latin platanus plane2 (1300-1400) French planer, from Late Latin planare, from Latin planus; → PLAIN1 plane3 (1500-1600) Latin planus; → PLAIN1 