Meaning & use

hydroplane

verb·Academic

To skid uncontrollably on a wet road when a layer of water builds up between the tires and the surface.

See it in a sentence

The car began to hydroplane on the flooded highway, and the driver eased off the gas.

Worn tires make a vehicle far more likely to hydroplane in heavy rain.

A note on using this word

British English typically uses aquaplane for this same loss of tire grip.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

A light motorboat designed to skim across the surface of water at high speed.

The racers steered their hydroplanes around the buoys at breakneck speed.

Make it your own

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