antiaircraft

American  

[an-tee-air-kraft, -krahft, an-tahy-] / ˌæn tiˈɛərˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft, ˌæn taɪ- /

adjective

1. designed for or used in defense against enemy aircraft.

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noun

1. artillery used against enemy aircraft.

2. a military organization operating and servicing antiaircraft artillery.

3. shellfire from antiaircraft artillery.

   The planes flew through heavy antiaircraft.

Etymology

Origin of antiaircraft

First recorded in 1910–15; anti- + aircraft

Explanation

Anything described as antiaircraft defends a position on the ground from an air force. An antiaircraft gun shoots at attacking planes. This is a military term with a very specific meaning. Like all anti words, this is in opposition to something: in this case, fighter planes and other attacks from above. All antiaircraft devices and strategies involve protecting forces on the ground from forces in the sky. Since planes have tremendous advantages in dropping bombs and firing at the ground, antiaircraft forces are important.

Example Sentences

Vestiges of that era are still present: Charred remnants of Iraqi tanks and antiaircraft guns litter Failaka Island off the coast of Kuwait City.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Yet the low altitude and slow speed puts them in greater danger for ground or antiaircraft fire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Jittery Angelenos sat in the dark, rattled by sounds of sirens and antiaircraft fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

The two Iranian officials said the weapon had struck an S-300 antiaircraft system at a military base in the nearby province of Isfahan.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2024

Mariya Smirnova, the squadron commander, noticed the silence and reasoned—correctly—that the only reason the antiaircraft guns would stop firing was because there must be German night fighter aircraft patrolling the sky.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein