the U.S. department consisting of practically all military aviation forces, established July 26, 1947.
air force, a similar department in any military organization.
air force, (formerly) the largest unit in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
air force, a unit of U.S. Air Force command between an air division and an air command.
Sometimes air force the military unit of a nation charged with carrying out military operations in the air.
British. Royal Air Force.
the branch of a nation's armed services primarily responsible for air warfare
( as modifier )
an air-force base
a formation in the US and certain other air forces larger than an air division but smaller than an air command
First recorded in 1915–1920
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Air Force for chemical propulsion can also successfully power miniature electric thrusters known as electrospray thrusters.
From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026
Parmitano was a test pilot for the Italian Air Force before becoming a colonel, and was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
When I was 16, my dad was transferred to McClellan Air Force Base, near Sacramento, Calif. We moved eight hours northwest to Carmichael, Calif. I was so upset.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Born in Cardiff in 1949 to a Royal Air Force officer and his wife, Sullivan first found a taste for business selling football programmes.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Free hunting was a tactic the Soviet Air Force exploited in 1943 and assigned to experienced fighter pilots of exceptional talent.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
