the U.S. department consisting of practically all military aviation forces, established July 26, 1947.
air force, a similar department in any military organization.
air force, (formerly) the largest unit in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
air force, a unit of U.S. Air Force command between an air division and an air command.
Sometimes air force the military unit of a nation charged with carrying out military operations in the air.
British. Royal Air Force.
the branch of a nation's armed services primarily responsible for air warfare
( as modifier )
an air-force base
a formation in the US and certain other air forces larger than an air division but smaller than an air command
First recorded in 1915–1920
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kyiv intercepted about 91 percent of all incoming drones and missiles in May, according to air force data.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
Prosecutors say he had an intermediary: a former Ecuadorian air force pilot who was working for a Chinese company, Stratos Aviation, to train Chinese air force pilots.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
Other crew members include 39-year-old space engineer Zhu Yangzhu and 39-year-old Zhang Zhiyuan, a former air force pilot, who is travelling into space for the first time.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
Its air force was once considered to be among the best in Latin America, with modern Soviet MiG jet fighters.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Haynes was a mining engineer who became fascinated by archaeology during a stint in the air force.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
