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Glite Dictionary
jumbo jet

jumbo jet

9 3.0
A very large airplane that carries many people on long flights
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒʌmboʊ dʒɛt/
translation icon : jumbo
  • The airport was bustling as several jumbo jets prepared to take off full of travelers.

They sold two jumbo jets full of boxing fans to go out to see this fight.

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Examples

  • During the summer holidays, many families travel to popular destinations on a jumbo jet.

  • Perhaps the largest mass-produced icon is the Boeing 747, the first true jumbo jet.

    Academic text (2011)

  • That was one of the Air India jumbo jets also.

    Sita Sings the Blues (2008)

  • "We are turning this jumbo jet into our tour bus."

    Blog text (21)

  • The luxury jumbo jet is to be used as Air Force One, sources told ABC News.

    I've Had It

  • In a series of shots, we get to know the layout of the jumbo jet's main cabin.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • France has begun to send jumbo jets to Tokyo to aid in the evacuation.

    Blog text (6)

  • Everyone knows that jumbo jets regularly fly back and forth between the mainland and the Hawaiian Islands.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • An immense jumbo jet is maneuvering into its take-off position.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The large jumbo jet can carry over 500 passengers on international flights.

Synonyms

airliner
vsjumbo jet
58 2.6

A large plane used by airlines to carry many passengers

is the subset that means exceptionally large passenger planes rather than all commercial ones
jetliner
vsjumbo jet
17 3.5

A large plane with jet engines that carries people between cities

is the very large version that emphasizes massive passenger capacity
airbus
vsjumbo jet
1 3.2

A large plane that carries people on short or medium trips

is a more general term that covers very large long range passenger planes
jumbojet
vsjumbo jet
3.6

A very large jet plane that carries many people on long flights

is the general term for very large passenger planes without distance focus
wide-body aircraft
vsjumbo jet
  • Specialized
3.9

A large passenger plane with two aisles that carries many people

is similar but focuses on overall very large size and capacity rather than aisle count
fan-jet
vsjumbo jet
  • Specialized
7.0

A plane powered by an engine with a large fan that makes it go faster

is about overall passenger capacity and size rather than engine type or thrust
fanjet
vsjumbo jet
  • Specialized
6.7

A jet engine with a large front fan, or a plane powered by it

focuses on very large passenger carrying ability not on propulsion details

Antonyms

ultralight
  • Specialized
5 5.1

A very small lightweight plane for short flights that carries one or two people

How Big

jumbo jet
9 3.0
airliner
58 2.6
jet plane
7 2.7
light plane
1 3.7

Surface Forms

jumbo jet singular
jumbo jets plural

Morphology

jumbo + jet

The meaning 'a very large jet airliner' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'jumbo' (very large) with 'jet' (an aircraft); the adjective+noun composition follows normal English compounding rules. This concept is cross-linguistically obvious (many languages use an explicit large + plane construction or borrow 'jumbo'), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The name jumbo jet comes from 'Jumbo', a very large, famous elephant, and jet, a fast airplane. Because jumbo came to mean 'very big', people used jumbo jet to talk about very large passenger airplanes.