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air alert

American  

noun

  1. the act of flying while waiting for combat orders or for enemy airplanes to appear.

  2. the signal to take stations for such action.


air alert British  

noun

  1. the condition in which combat aircraft are airborne and ready for an operation

  2. a signal to prepare for this

"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

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.

See Examples For:

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

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 air alert in Odesa lasted for three-and-a-half hours," Kiper said.

From Reuters ● Oct. 6, 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

But by late afternoon, as darkness fell, there had not been even one air alert in Kyiv.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2023

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