antiaircraft

American  

[an-tee-air-kraft, -krahft, an-tahy-] / ˌæn tiˈɛərˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft, ˌæn taɪ- /

adjective

1. designed for or used in defense against enemy aircraft.

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noun

1. artillery used against enemy aircraft.

2. a military organization operating and servicing antiaircraft artillery.

3. shellfire from antiaircraft artillery.

   The planes flew through heavy antiaircraft.

Etymology

Origin of antiaircraft

First recorded in 1910–15; anti- + aircraft

Explanation

Anything described as antiaircraft defends a position on the ground from an air force. An antiaircraft gun shoots at attacking planes. This is a military term with a very specific meaning. Like all anti words, this is in opposition to something: in this case, fighter planes and other attacks from above. All antiaircraft devices and strategies involve protecting forces on the ground from forces in the sky. Since planes have tremendous advantages in dropping bombs and firing at the ground, antiaircraft forces are important.

Example Sentences

Jittery Angelenos sat in the dark, rattled by sounds of sirens and antiaircraft fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Kyiv plundered warehouses for veteran Soviet antiaircraft guns and fitted heavy machine guns, some almost a century old, with thermal imaging systems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

“If someone is building up an antiaircraft facility in the area, you might want to know about that and track the progress,” Funaiole said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Earlier in the war, Wagner mercenaries supplied the R.S.F. with antiaircraft missiles, U.N. investigators say.

From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024

Like Mariya, she couldn’t hear the antiaircraft guns firing.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein