definitions

ack-ack

or Ack-Ack

[ ak-ak ]
/ ˈækˌæk /
|

noun Informal. (esp. during World War II)

antiaircraft fire.
antiaircraft arms.

Nearby words

acinous, acinous cell, acinous gland, acinus, acis, ack-ack, ack-emma, ack., ackee, acker, ackey

Origin of ack-ack

1935–40; for A.A. (abbreviation of a(nti) a(ircraft)) as said by British signalmen referring to sense 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ack-ack

  • "The ack-ack will knock those planes out of the sky," one of the sailors said.

    The Lost Warship|Robert Moore Williams

  • That was a score for the Ack-Ack gunners and the ground boys.

    A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F.|Rutherford G. Montgomery

  • The Jerries were at it again and seemed to have slipped inside the balloons and the ring of Ack-Ack guns.

    A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F.|Rutherford G. Montgomery

British Dictionary definitions for ack-ack

ack-ack

/ (ˈækˌæk) /

noun military

  1. anti-aircraft fire
  2. (as modifier)ack-ack guns
anti-aircraft arms

Word Origin for ack-ack

C20: British army World War I phonetic alphabet for AA, abbreviation of anti-aircraft
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012