- 1 (British English also aeroplane) (also airplane especially in North American English) a flying vehicle with wings and one or more engines She left by plane for Berlin. a plane crash I caught the next plane to Dublin. The plane took off an hour late. The plane landed at Geneva. They boarded the plane and flew to Chicago. CollocationsTravel 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/vacationForeign 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 sicknessThe 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 Wordfinderplanecabin crew, charter, flight path, in-flight, land, long-haul, plane, refuel, take-off, travel Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivelight, small, commercial, … verb + planecatch, get, take, … plane + verbtake off, come down, land, … plane + nouncrash, ticket prepositionby plane, in a/the plane, on a/the plane, … See full entry See related entries: Aircraft, Parts of a plane
- 2 (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. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveflat, horizontal, parallel, … See full entry
- 3a level of thought, existence or development to reach a higher plane of achievement They seem to exist on a different spiritual plane. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivehigher, mental, spiritual, … phrasesbe on a different plane, operate on a different plane See full entry
- 4 a tool with a blade set in a flat surface, used for making the surface of wood smooth by shaving 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’.Extra examples I’ve never flown in a plane. Like all talented musicians, he operates on a different plane from most people. 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. With practice, an athlete can reach a higher plane of achievement. a military cargo plane the first generation of passenger planes, like the Boeing 707
Check pronunciation: plane
