antiaircraft

American  

[an-tee-air-kraft, -krahft, an-tahy-] / ˌæn tiˈɛərˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft, ˌæn taɪ- /

adjective

1. designed for or used in defense against enemy aircraft.

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noun

1. artillery used against enemy aircraft.

2. a military organization operating and servicing antiaircraft artillery.

3. shellfire from antiaircraft artillery.

   The planes flew through heavy antiaircraft.

Etymology

Origin of antiaircraft

First recorded in 1910–15; anti- + aircraft

Explanation

Anything described as antiaircraft defends a position on the ground from an air force. An antiaircraft gun shoots at attacking planes. This is a military term with a very specific meaning. Like all anti words, this is in opposition to something: in this case, fighter planes and other attacks from above. All antiaircraft devices and strategies involve protecting forces on the ground from forces in the sky. Since planes have tremendous advantages in dropping bombs and firing at the ground, antiaircraft forces are important.

Example Sentences

Jittery Angelenos sat in the dark, rattled by sounds of sirens and antiaircraft fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

World War II was similar, with air forces and antiaircraft weapons neutralizing each other.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

An official at Venezuela’s airport in Valencia said antiaircraft guns have been deployed near the runway and storage buildings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

Earlier in the war, Wagner mercenaries supplied the R.S.F. with antiaircraft missiles, U.N. investigators say.

From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024

Other smaller specialist groups existed, in which boys learned how to signal in Morse code, operate antiaircraft weaponry, provide first aid and practical field medicine, perform air-raid warden duties, and handle other weapons.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti