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• Air Force
  Air Force

  noun

  the U.S. department consisting of practically all military aviation forces, established July 26, 1947.
• air force
  air force

Air Force

American  

noun

1. the U.S. department consisting of practically all military aviation forces, established July 26, 1947.

2. air force, a similar department in any military organization.

3. air force, (formerly) the largest unit in the U.S. Army Air Forces.

4. air force, a unit of U.S. Air Force command between an air division and an air command.

5. Sometimes air force the military unit of a nation charged with carrying out military operations in the air.

6. British. Royal Air Force.

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air force British  

noun

1. 1. the branch of a nation's armed services primarily responsible for air warfare

   2. ( as modifier )

      an air-force base

2. a formation in the US and certain other air forces larger than an air division but smaller than an air command

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Etymology

Origin of Air Force

First recorded in 1915–1920

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Air Force air force

One of the older Air Force Ones then appeared to have been called into action when Israel briefed the US about a possible missile threat when Trump was leaving the Ankara summit.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Air Force and Navy depleted a stunningly high percentage of the country’s most vital munitions—including more than half of its cruise missiles and high-tech air-defense weapons.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

About 25,000 people signed a petition against the move, including Royal Air Force veteran Paul Cornhill, who visits the site in Alrewas, Staffordshire, to remember his stillborn daughter.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Air Force officer turned business professor focused on disruption, Haynie says character and resilience will be central to Syracuse moving forward: “We want to be a school that prepares you for the world’s hard edges.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

“U.S. Air Force planes circled over the mountainous wilds of southeastern Turkey today searching for an experimental jet plane that vanished with its pilot three days ago,” the article began.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the state fire department, runs the world’s largest civilian firefighting air force.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Three judges heard the case at Camp Zeist, a former US air force base in the Netherlands.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The country has repeatedly appealed to its allies for additional support as Russia steps up its strikes -- firing a record number of missiles in July, according to AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Red icons -- depicting Russian drones -- were dotted across the map and disappeared as they were downed by Ukraine's air force.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

When the Germans invaded, Flerov had put his studies aside to serve in the Soviet air force.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin