air war
Americannoun
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military operations by combatants involving the use of aircraft.
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those phases or aspects of a war in which aircraft play a part.
Etymology
Origin of air war
First recorded in 1910–15
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.
This, however, could also present the U.S. with a dilemma on whether to prolong the air war if the regime were to crack down again.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Mr Lynch says not only are civilians suffering, neither side is achieving military success in the air war.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025
As a result, those two countries launched an air war against the Helpers of God in the spring of 2015.
From Salon • Jul. 14, 2024
The latest World War II drama from Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman on Apple TV+ focuses on the European air war and serves as a companion to “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2024
Most consisted of two squadrons of ten aircraft apiece; Marina Raskova’s three female regiments were not going to change the outcome of an air war on this scale.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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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.