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🏄 A water board 🏄 To ride on water 🚗 To slide on water
to aquaplane

to aquaplane

8.4
To slide on a wet road when water lifts the tires from the surface
  • verb
  • /ˈækwəˌpleɪn/
  • UK
translation icon : derrapar
  • During the heavy rain, my truck started to aquaplane on the slick highway, making it difficult to steer.

Examples

  • The car began to aquaplane when it hit the flooded intersection, causing the driver to lose control.

  • You know, I know I said that the car aquaplaned, but I know what I did.

    Verified (2024)

  • As I drove too fast on the wet road, my sedan started to aquaplane and skid toward the curb.

Synonyms

to hydroplane
vsto aquaplane
  • US
1 4.6

To slide on a wet road when a car's tires lose grip

emphasizes sliding caused by a thin layer of water under the tires

Surface Forms

aquaplane infinitive
aquaplaned past
aquaplaned past participle
aquaplaning present participle
aquaplanes third person singular

Morphology

aquaplane = aquaplane (semi-transparent) = aqua + plane

The form is clearly built on the water-related base, but the car-skidding sense is a metaphorical extension from gliding on water rather than a direct literal composition.

Etymology

Aquaplane combines aqua 'water' and plane 'to glide', so when a car aquaplanes it is gliding on a thin layer of water and loses grip on the road, which makes control difficult.