plane
adjective · noun · verb
Simple meaning
Of a surface: flat or level.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
playnIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpleɪn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Of a surface: flat or level.
noun
A level or flat surface.
A level of existence or development
“He lived on a worldly plane.”
A roughly flat, thin, often moveable structure used to create lateral force by the flow of air or water over its surface, found on aircraft, submarines, etc.
A carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing or shaping wood
“The cabinetmaker used a plane for the finish work.”
entomology
Any of various nymphalid butterflies, of various genera, having a slow gliding flight.
entomology
The butterfly Bindahara phocides, family Lycaenidae, of Asia and Australasia.
verb
To glide or soar.
Cut or remove with or as if with a plane
Make even or smooth, with or as with a carpenter's plane
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Of a surface: flat or level.
Used this way, plane is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Roughlynoun
“He lived on a worldly plane.”
Carpenter'snoun
“The cabinetmaker used a plane for the finish work.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A power tool for smoothing or shaping wood.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An angle formed by two straight lines (in the same plane).
Coextensive with the genus Platanus: plane trees.
Any of several trees of the genus Platanus having thin pale bark that scales off in small plates and lobed leaves and ball-shaped heads of fruits.
A ticket good for a trip on an airplane.
A power tool for smoothing or shaping wood.
Surveying instrument consisting of a drawing board and a ruler that are mounted on a tripod.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.