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biplane

American

[bahy-pleyn] / ˈbaɪˌpleɪn /

noun

an airplane with two sets of wings, one above and usually slightly forward of the other.

biplane British

/ ˈbaɪˌpleɪn /

noun

a type of aeroplane having two sets of wings, one above the other Compare monoplane

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of biplane

First recorded in 1870–75; bi- ¹ + (air)plane

Compare meaning

How does biplane compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

monoplane vs. biplane

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The practice lasted until 1932, when a 22-year-old student aviator spotted a drifting cat-shaped balloon and tried to capture it with her biplane.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

As they played, a biplane flew over the Pyramid Stage and drew a smiley face and a love heart in the sky.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

Five people aboard a Russian-designed biplane were stranded Monday when the plane landed at the North Pole and sank through the ice.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2024

That's how they had her hover at that one point for one of the opening shots when she's hovering and then it turns into the biplane.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2024

There ahead, the biplane was on the ground.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023