Phrase guide

air defense

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

defensive measures designed to destroy attacking enemy aircraft or missiles or to nullify their effectiveness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: defense, defence, defensive measure

Narrower terms: active air defense, passive air defense

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: الدِّفَاع الجَوِّيّ (ad-difāʕ al-jawwiyy) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Arabic: دِفَاع جَوِّيّ (difāʕ jawwiyy) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Armenian: հակաօդային պաշտպանություն (hakaōdayin paštpanutʻyun) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Azerbaijani: hava hücumundan müdafiə — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Belarusian: супрацьпаве́траная абаро́на (supracʹpavjétranaja abaróna) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Belarusian: СПА — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Bulgarian: противовъзду́шна отбра́на (protivovǎzdúšna otbrána) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Chinese Cantonese: 防空 — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Chinese Mandarin: 防空 (fángkōng) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Czech: protivzdušná obrana — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Danish: luftforsvar — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Dutch: luchtafweer — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Dutch: luchtverdediging — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Estonian: õhutõrje — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Finnish: ilmatorjunta — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • French: défense aérienne — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • French: défense anti-aérienne — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Georgian: საჰაერო თავდაცვა (sahaero tavdacva) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • German: Flugabwehr — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • German: Luftabwehr — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Hebrew: הֲגָנָה אֲוִירִית (haganá avirít) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Hindi: वायु रक्षा (vāyu rakṣā) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Hindi: हवाई रक्षा (havāī rakṣā) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Hungarian: légvédelem — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Icelandic: loftvarnir — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Italian: difesa aerea — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Japanese: 防空 (bōkū) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Kazakh: әуе шабуылына қарсы қорғаныс (äue şabuylyna qarsy qorğanys) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Korean: 방공 (banggong) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Kyrgyz: абадан болуучу чабуулга каршы коргонуу (abadan boluucu cabuulga karşı korgonuu) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Latvian: pretgaisa aizsardzība — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Lithuanian: priešlėktuvinė gynyba — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Macedonian: противвоздушна одбрана (protivvozdušna odbrana) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Norwegian Bokmål: luftvern — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Iranian Persian: پَدافَنْدِ هَوایی (padâfand-e havâyi) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Polish: obrona powietrzna — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Polish: obrona przeciwlotnicza — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Portuguese: defesa antiaérea — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Romanian: apărare aeriană — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Russian: противовозду́шная оборо́на (protivovozdúšnaja oboróna) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Russian: ПВО (PVO) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Serbo-Croatian: протузрачна обрана — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Serbo-Croatian: противваздушна одбрана — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Serbo-Croatian: protuzračna obrana — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Serbo-Croatian: protivvazdušna odbrana — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Slovak: protivzdušná obrana — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Slovene: zračna obramba — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Slovene: protizračna obramba — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Spanish: defensa antiaérea — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Swedish: luftförsvar — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Swedish: luftvärn — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Tajik: мудофиаи зиддиҳавоӣ (mudofia-yi ziddihavoyi) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Thai: การป้องกันทางอากาศ (gaan-bpɔ̂ng-gan-taang-aa-gàat) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Ukrainian: протипові́тряна оборо́на (protypovítrjana oboróna) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Ukrainian: ППО (PPO) — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Uzbek: havo hujumidan mudofaa — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
  • Vietnamese: phòng không — the use of systems, equipment, and personnel to prevent or reduce the impact of an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles