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.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force said it downed 181 out of 207 drones fired by Russia during that time.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
“The best way to practice live firing is right in the area you’re supposed to defend,” said Chou Yu-ping, a retired Taiwanese air force colonel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Ukraine downed 40 of 73 Russian missiles and 602 of 656 drones, according to estimates from its air force.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
Other crew members include 39-year-old space engineer Zhu Yangzhu and 39-year-old Zhang Zhiyuan, a former air force pilot, who is travelling into space for the first time.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
It had set up a classroom on the air force base, a cooperative venture with George Washington University, presumably available to all employees.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
