air alert
Americannoun
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the act of flying while waiting for combat orders or for enemy airplanes to appear.
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the signal to take stations for such action.
noun
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the condition in which combat aircraft are airborne and ready for an operation
-
a signal to prepare for this
Etymology
Origin of air alert
First recorded in 1940–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On days when a big attack is expected, some residents now head straight to metro stations -- the typical underground overnight refuge -- when they finish work, not waiting for the air alert.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene were taken to emergency shelters following the air alert, which ordered the city's population to take cover.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
"The air alert in Odesa lasted for three-and-a-half hours," Kiper said.
From Reuters ● Oct. 6, 2023
That’s especially true for Ukrainian parents like Dmytro and Yulia Kravchenko, who leap to check on 18-month-old Mikhail whenever an air alert sounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
When the dangers from the skies pass, Hamill announces via the app that “the air alert is over.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 27, 2023
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.
