air marshal

American  

noun

British.

1. an air force officer of a rank comparable to an army lieutenant general.

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air marshal British  

noun

1. a senior Royal Air Force officer of equivalent rank to a vice admiral in the Royal Navy

2. a Royal Australian Air Force officer of the highest rank

3. a Royal New Zealand Air Force officer of the highest rank when chief of defence forces

4. a person employed to travel as an armed guard on commercial flights to protect against hijacking

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Etymology

Origin of air marshal

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

air marshal

The country musician also introduced her as his girlfriend, and his bodyguard, who showed her his two firearms and told her he was an air marshal, which made her feel safe, she alleges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

Before joining HSI, Nelson was in the Air Force and served in Iraq in 2008, then worked at state and federal prisons and as an air marshal.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 24, 2023

An air marshal who was on board the Delta Air Lines flight had the passenger in custody when the flight landed Thursday night, Oklahoma City Police Capt. Arthur Gregory told TV station KFOR.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 10, 2021

The air marshal suffered minor injuries and did not need medical attention, the TSA said.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2021

One report questioned the contributions of the federal air marshal program, which places armed marshals on commercial flights to protect passengers and crews against a terrorist attack.

From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2017