air marshal

noun

, British.

1. an air force officer of a rank comparable to an army lieutenant general.

air marshal

noun

1. a senior Royal Air Force officer of equivalent rank to a vice admiral in the Royal Navy
2. a Royal Australian Air Force officer of the highest rank
3. a Royal New Zealand Air Force officer of the highest rank when chief of defence forces
4. a person employed to travel as an armed guard on commercial flights to protect against hijacking

Word History and Origins

Origin of air marshal¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Muhammad Ashfaque Arain, a former air marshal in the Pakistani Air Force, pointed to the delicate position Pakistan was in, with a caretaker government in charge until the election.

From New York Times

The man, Arian Taherzadeh, 41, had falsely claimed to be a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, a former U.S. air marshal, a former U.S.

From New York Times

The country musician also introduced her as his girlfriend, and his bodyguard Charles Hurd, who showed her his two firearms and told her he was an air marshal, made her feel safe, she alleged.

From Los Angeles Times

The country musician also introduced her as his girlfriend, and his bodyguard, who showed her his two firearms and told her he was an air marshal, which made her feel safe, she alleges.

From Los Angeles Times

Before joining HSI, Nelson was in the Air Force and served in Iraq in 2008, then worked at state and federal prisons and as an air marshal.

From Washington Times