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air cover

American  

noun

  1. the use of aircraft to protect ground or naval military operations.

  2. the protection given by such aircraft.


air cover British  

noun

  1. Also called: air support

    1. the use of aircraft to provide aerial protection for ground forces against enemy air attack

    2. the aircraft used in 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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

But “it also has given air cover, more importantly, to execute on the right-sizing that you probably needed to do a long time ago.”

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 16, 2026

“It feels like what they are saying may simply be air cover as they are trying to get this deal through regulation,” he said.

From MarketWatch Mar. 7, 2026

Western nations seeking to secure the route for maritime traffic could consider frigate patrols or escorts for a particular ship -- possibly with extra air cover.

From Barron's Mar. 6, 2026

He noted that Ukraine lacks vital air cover for its attacks.

From Seattle Times Jul. 15, 2023

Our planes can't give air cover 'cause of the mist, snow, hail, gales.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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