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control tower

American

noun

a glass-enclosed, elevated structure for the visual observation and control of the air and ground traffic at an airport.

control tower British

noun

a tower at an airport from which air traffic is controlled

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of control tower

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

To the Editor: Do you trust an artificial-intelligence software tool to decide which products to launch or which expenses to cut—like a control tower?

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

In audio from the control tower at the time of the crash, an air traffic controller can be heard urgently asking the truck to come to a stop.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

The Fars news agency said US attacks targeted air defences, a naval base, airport control tower and a helicopter hangar.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Chris Dickinson was stunned after he took an impromptu tour of an air-traffic control tower in Sydney, Australia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

An arrow pointed them down a dirt road to a squat air traffic control tower next to a grass landing strip.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023