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 senior airman

b

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

Synonyms of airman

• pilot
• aviator

Examples of airman in a Sentence

her father was an airman who was shot down in Vietnam

Recent Examples on the Web

Users on Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market, could place bets on when the airman would be rescued. —Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

As the United States was preparing a daring mission to rescue an airman whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran, there was money to be made. —ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026

Hegseth complained that the media hadn’t focused on such aspects of the war as the rescue missions to save two airmen whose plane was shot down in Iran, even though that story was covered extensively. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026

His airman’s certificate will be suspended for a year. —Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing airman

• airman basic
• airman first class
• senior airman

Rhymes for airman

• chairman
• chairmen
• lehrman
• cochairman

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