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.
Perhaps in part because of his time overseas in the Air Force, he believed U.S. military, economic and diplomatic power could be marshaled to expand freedom in the world in the American national interest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I have a lot of patience... We'll see what happens," he said aboard Air Force One.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
"The first time I heard it I was expecting that the Nigerian Air Force... had come to rescue us," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Aboard Air Force One he said that if the new efforts failed, "we go back to doing what we were doing" before the pause in fighting.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
By the time he made it back to Air Force One, he could no longer walk without help.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions moments after the Ukrainian air force warned residents via Telegram of incoming ballistic missiles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Located near Russia and Iran, and with growing tension with Israel, Turkey faces a range of aerial threats and has long been seeking to upgrade its air force including by acquiring the highly advanced F-35.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Various agencies, including the navy and air force, have been deployed to look for the missing plane, the airport authority said.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Ukraine's air force issues a daily tally of the weapons Moscow launches alongside the number intercepted.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Dad had no interest in a life like that, so he left Welch when he was seventeen to join the air force and become a pilot.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
