the U.S. department consisting of practically all military aviation forces, established July 26, 1947.
air force, a similar department in any military organization.
air force, (formerly) the largest unit in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
air force, a unit of U.S. Air Force command between an air division and an air command.
Sometimes air force the military unit of a nation charged with carrying out military operations in the air.
British. Royal Air Force.
the branch of a nation's armed services primarily responsible for air warfare
( as modifier )
an air-force base
a formation in the US and certain other air forces larger than an air division but smaller than an air command
First recorded in 1915–1920
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The results included $280 million in losses on the VC-25B program for the presidential plane, Air Force One, which has been beset by delays and cost overruns.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
He said the company is “also adding significant resources” to help the Air Force One program stay on schedule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The contract aimed for initial delivery of an Air Force One aircraft by the end of 2024.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
He expressed optimism for an end to the war on Monday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: "I think there's a good chance that something could happen."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
At Duluth Airport in northern Minnesota, a few minutes after midnight, an Air Force guard spotted some sort of dark figure climbing a fence around a building that housed vital radar equipment.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
A surface-to-air battery operated by Greek personnel in Saudi Arabia downed two ballistic missiles and a drone over Yanbu, the Greek air force media office said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Overnight on Sunday, out of 25 Russian ballistic missiles, 17 were intercepted, the air force said -- a rate suggesting Ukraine's air defence situation might be improving.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Located near Russia and Iran, and with growing tension with Israel, Turkey faces a range of aerial threats and has long been seeking to upgrade its air force including by acquiring the highly advanced F-35.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Then the two men walked arm-in-arm while a band played the Stars and Stripes, and Turkish air force jets performed a flypast overhead, trailing red, white and blue smoke.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
He said that the central air force headquarters had already received more than a hundred letters from young women begging to be admitted to military schools.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
