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
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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.
Ukraine's air force also announced a countrywide air alert in the early hours of Saturday and said on social media that drones and missiles were moving over several Ukrainian regions, including the capital.
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
The Ukrainian military said the whole country has been placed under an air alert.
From BBC • Sep. 4, 2024
"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
And those same apps didn’t have “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill announcing when the danger has passed, reassuringly saying in his Luke Skywalker voice: “The air alert is over. May the force be with you.”
From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 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.
