airman

noun

air·​man ˈer-mən 

plural airmen

1

: a civilian or military pilot, aviator, or aviation technician

2

: an enlisted person in the air force: such as

a

: an enlisted person of one of the four ranks below sergeant

b

: an enlisted person ranking above an airman basic and below an airman first class

Synonyms

• aviator
• birdman
• flier
• flyer
• pilot

Examples of airman in a Sentence

her father was an airman who was shot down in Vietnam

Recent Examples on the Web

The same desperation was felt by Aaron Bushnell, a young active-duty U.S. airman. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024

His father was a Tuskegee airman, and both his mother and father graduated from the University of Chicago law school. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024

Viewers of the series will learn what life was like for the American airmen who flew the terrifying bombing missions over Germany that slowly but surely crippled the German war machine. —Eric Hogan, National Review, 24 Feb. 2024

As much as the airframe loss hurts, the loss of 15 experienced airmen might hurt worse. —David Axe, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

As Kinney desperately attempts to survive on his own and complete the mission, Reaper has to cope with such annoyances as an airman interrupting him during a tense moment to ask his order for a Starbucks run. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024

The Arkansas National Guard also deployed troops between June 2006 and July 2008 in support of Operation Jump Start, providing more than 750 soldiers and airmen in support of the Border Patrol. —Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2024

The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday. —Michael Balsamo, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2024

As a new airman, Andrew was stationed in Arizona as an aircraft electrical and environmental systems apprentice. —Kathleen McGrory, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing airman

• airman first class
• senior airman
• airman basic

Kids Definition

airman

noun

air·​man -mən 

1

: pilot entry 1 sense 3, aviator

2

a

: an enlisted person in the air force

b

: an enlisted person in the air force with a rank below that of sergeant

especially : one with the rank just below that of airman first class