sky marshal

American  

noun

1. an armed plainclothes federal marshal riding on an airliner to protect against skyjacking.

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sky marshal British  

noun

1. an armed security guard on a commercial aircraft

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Etymology

Origin of sky marshal

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

He helped develop the sky marshal program to counteract hijackers.

From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2021

He also helped develop the federal sky marshal program, his family said.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2018

For one thing, El Al puts at least one armed, plainclothes sky marshal on all its flights.

From Time Magazine Archive