Definition

1. Noun:

   • A type of speedboat: A motorboat designed with special surfaces (foils or planing hulls) that allow it to rise up and skim across the water's surface at high speeds.
   • A seaplane: An airplane designed with floats or a boat-like hull so it can take off from and land on a body of water.

2. Verb:

   • To skim over water: For a boat or vehicle to glide or slide over a wet surface, often with a loss of traction, or specifically, to operate a hydroplane boat.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Speedboat):

  • The racing hydroplane sped across the lake, barely touching the water.
  • He restored a vintage hydroplane from the 1950s.

• Noun (Seaplane):

  • The hydroplane landed smoothly on the bay to pick up passengers.
  • Early transatlantic flights were sometimes made by large hydroplanes.

• Verb:

  • During the heavy rain, my car began to hydroplane on the slick highway.
  • The pilot learned to hydroplane the aircraft during his naval training.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Engineering Context: In fluid dynamics, "hydroplaning" refers to the phenomenon where a layer of water builds between a moving object's tires (or other surfaces) and the road, leading to a loss of control.
  • The accident was caused by aquaplaning, also known as hydroplaning.

Variants and Related Words

• Hydroplaning (n/gerund): The action or phenomenon of sliding uncontrollably on a wet surface.
  • Hydroplaning is a major hazard for drivers in tropical downpours.

Synonyms

• Noun (Boat): speedboat, racing boat, planing hull boat.
• Noun (Aircraft): seaplane, floatplane, flying boat.
• Verb (to skim/slide): aquaplane, skim, glide, slide.

Related Phrases

• To hydroplane (verb phrase): Often used in driving contexts to describe the dangerous loss of traction.
  • Always slow down to avoid hydroplaning on wet roads.

Related Idioms

• "To be hydroplaning": While not a traditional idiom, this phrase is commonly used in warnings and safety discussions about wet-weather driving.
  • If you feel the steering go light, you might be hydroplaning.

Noun

1. a speedboat that is equipped with winglike structures that lift it so that it skims the water at high speeds
   • the museum houses a replica of the jet hydroplane that broke the record
2. an airplane that can land on or take off from water
   • the designer of marine aircraft demonstrated his newest hydroplane

Verb

1. glide on the water in a hydroplane