monoplane

American  

[mon-uh-pleyn] / ˈmɒn əˌpleɪn /

noun

1. an airplane with one main sustaining surface or one set of wings.

2. Nautical. a planing plane craft the bottom of which is in an unbroken fore-and-aft line.

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monoplane British  

/ ˈmɒnəʊˌpleɪn /

noun

1. an aeroplane with only one pair of wings Compare biplane

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Other Word Forms

• monoplanist noun

Etymology

Origin of monoplane

First recorded in 1905–10; mono- + plane ¹

Compare meaning

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

• monoplane vs. biplane

Example Sentences

Numerous expeditions have turned up nothing, only confirming that swaths of ocean floor held no trace of her twin-tailed monoplane.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2024

He won cash prizes and set two records at Dominguez, one of them for quickest takeoff in his monoplane — 6.4 seconds.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2023

On this date in 1929, Phoenix’s first aerial wedding took place in the monoplane “Arizonan” over the business district of the city shortly after 8 p.m.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2017

Shortly before his death in 1910, just shy of his 90th birthday, he was able to telegraph his congratulations when Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel in a monoplane.

From Washington Post • Jul. 19, 2017

Langley’s first machine was a tandem monoplane, that is it had two pairs of wings, one immediately following the other.

From Story of the Aeroplane by Galbreath, C. B. (Charles Burleigh)