Phrase guide

air force

name · noun · 7 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɛə(ɹ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)s/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

name

Meaning 1

The military air force of a particular armed forces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

Ellipsis of United States Air Force.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

Ellipsis of Air Force Falcons sports teams representing the United States Air Force Academy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A branch of the military mainly devoted to air warfare, as opposed to (land) army and (sea) navy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • When you're in the air force you have to be prepared to launch missiles at people from the air.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A unit in the U.S. Air Force larger than a division but smaller than a command.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the airborne branch of a country's armed forces

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: airforce

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: military service, armed service, service

Narrower terms: Air Corps, Royal Air Force, RAF, Luftwaffe, German Luftwaffe

7

noun

Meaning 7

the airforce of the United States of America; the agency that defends the United States through control and exploitation of air and space

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: United States Air Force, U. S. Air Force, US Air Force, USAF

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authority

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

105 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: lugmag — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Albanian: forca ajrore — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Arabic: سِلَاح طَيَرَان (silāḥ ṭayarān) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Armenian: ռազմաօդային ուժեր (ṙazmaōdayin užer) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Armenian: ՌՕՈՒ (ṘŌU) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Armenian: օդուժ (ōduž) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Azerbaijani: hava qüvvələri — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Basque: aireko indar — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Basque: aireko armada — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Belarusian: вае́нна-паве́траныя сі́лы (vajénna-pavjétranyja síly) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Bengali: বিমানবাহিনী (bimanbahini) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Breton: aerlu — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Bulgarian: вое́нновъзду́шни си́ли (voénnovǎzdúšni síli) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Bulgarian: ВВС (VVS) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Burmese: လေတပ် (letap) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Catalan: força aèria — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Chinese: 空軍 /空军 (khong-kun) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Chinese Mandarin: 空軍 /空军 (kōngjūn) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Cornish: ayrlu — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Czech: letectvo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Czech: vzdušné síly — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Danish: flyvevåben — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Danish: luftvåben — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Danish: luftstyrke — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Dutch: luchtmacht — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Esperanto: aerarmeo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Esperanto: flugarmeo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Estonian: lennuvägi — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Finnish: ilmavoimat — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • French: armée de l'air — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • French: forces aériennes — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Galician: forza aérea — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Georgian: საჰაერო ძალები (sahaero ʒalebi) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Georgian: სამხედრო-საჰაერო ძალები (samxedro-sahaero ʒalebi) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • German: Luftwaffe — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • German: Luftstreitkräfte — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • German: Luftwàffa — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Greek: αεροπορία (aeroporía) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Greek: πολεμική αεροπορία (polemikí aeroporía) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Gujarati: વાયુદળ (vāyudaḷ) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Hebrew: חיל אוויר — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Hebrew: חֵיל אֲוִיר (kheil avír) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Hindi: वायु सेना (vāyu senā) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Hindi: वायुदल (vāyudal) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Hungarian: légierő — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Icelandic: flugher — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Ido: aer-armeo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Indonesian: angkatan udara — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Irish: aerarm — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Irish: aerfhórsa — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Italian: aeronautica militare — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Italian: forze aeree — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Italian: forza aerea — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Japanese: 空軍 (kūgun) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Javanese: ꦮꦢ꧀ꦪꦲꦁꦒꦼꦒꦤ (wadya anggegana) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Khmer: កងទ័ពជើងអាកាស (kɑɑng tŏəp cəəng ʼaakaah) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Khmer: ទាហានជើងអាកាស (tiəhiən cəəng ʼaakaah) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Korean: 공군 (gonggun) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Lao: ກອງທັບອາກາດ (kǭng thap ʼā kāt) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Latvian: gaisa spēki — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Limburgish: lóchhèèr — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Lithuanian: karinės oro pajėgos — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Macedonian: воздухопло́вство (vozduhoplóvstvo) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Malay: tentera udara — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Māori: tauā rangi — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Norwegian Bokmål: flyvåpen — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Norwegian Bokmål: luftforsvar — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: flyvåpen — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: luftforsvar — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Pali: ākāsayānikasenā — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Iranian Persian: نیرویِ هَوایی (niru-ye havâyi) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Polish: siły powietrzne — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Portuguese: força aérea — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Romanian: forță aeriană — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Romanian: aviație militară — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Russian: вое́нно-возду́шные си́лы (vojénno-vozdúšnyje síly) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Russian: ВВС (VVS) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Serbo-Croatian: ратно зракопловство — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Serbo-Croatian: војно зракопловство — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Serbo-Croatian: ратно ваздухопловство — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Serbo-Croatian: ratno zrakoplovstvo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Serbo-Croatian: vojno zrakoplovstvo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Serbo-Croatian: ratno vazduhoplovstvo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Slovak: vojenské letectvo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Slovak: vzdušné sily — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Slovene: vojno letalstvo — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Spanish: fuerza aérea — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Swedish: flygvapen — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Tagalog: hukbong-panghimpapawid — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Tamil: வான்படை (vāṉpaṭai) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Thai: กองทัพอากาศ (gɔɔng-táp-aa-gàat) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Turkish: hava kuvetleri — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Ukrainian: військо́во-пові́тряні си́ли (vijsʹkóvo-povítrjani sýly) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Urdu: فِضائِیَہ (fizāiya) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Vietnamese: không quân — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Vietnamese: không lực — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Welsh: llu awyr — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Welsh: awyrlu — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Yiddish: לופֿטאַרמיי (luftarmey) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Yiddish: לופֿט־כּוחות (luft-koykhes) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Yiddish: לופֿטמאַכט (luftmakht) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Yiddish: לופֿטפֿלאָט (luftflot) — branch of the military devoted to air warfare
  • Chinese Mandarin: 美國空軍 /美国空军 (Mĕiguó kōngjūn) — unit in the U.S. Air Force
  • Finnish: ilmavoimat — unit in the U.S. Air Force
  • Khmer: កងទ័ពជើងអាកាសសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក (Kâng Toăp Cheung Akas Sâhârôdth Amérĭk) — unit in the U.S. Air Force