Meaning & use
hydroplane
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To slide uncontrollably on a wet road because a thin layer of water lifts the tires off the surface.
Grammar: No object; the subject is the vehicle or its tires. Often followed by 'on' or 'across'.
Patterns
- hydroplane on a wet road
- hydroplane across the surface
The car began to hydroplane on the flooded highway.
If you hydroplane, take your foot off the gas and steer straight.
Tires can hydroplane even in shallow standing water.
nouncountable
A light, fast motorboat designed to skim over the surface of the water.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a hydroplane' or 'hydroplanes'.
Patterns
- a hydroplane races
- ride in a hydroplane
The hydroplane sped across the lake, barely touching the water.
He raced a hydroplane in the summer championships.
Word forms
| third person singular | hydroplanes |
|---|---|
| past tense | hydroplaned |
| past participle | hydroplaned |
| -ing form | hydroplaning |
| plural | hydroplanes |
Common combinations
- hydroplane on wet roads
- Drivers often hydroplane on wet roads after a storm.
- start to hydroplane
- The truck started to hydroplane at high speed.
- hydroplane across the water
- The boat seemed to hydroplane across the water.
- hydroplane accident
- The hydroplane accident was caused by heavy rain.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- hydroplaning noun
- The act or process of losing tire grip on water.
Commonly confused: hydroplane or aquaplane?
hydroplane vs aquaplane
Aquaplane means the same as hydroplane in British English, but in American English it is less common.
Practice
What should you do if your car starts to hydroplane?
Choose one answer.
Easing off the gas and steering straight helps the tires regain contact with the road. Braking hard or turning sharply can make the skid worse.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hydroplane”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.