air traffic controller

noun

: a person who is responsible for remotely monitoring and directing the movements of aircraft as part of a system of air traffic control

Examples of air traffic controller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sacramento City College will begin training air traffic controllers through a new program as part of a push to address an ongoing nationwide shortage that was highlighted during the government shutdown late last year. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Often that’s a licensed pilot but Federal Aviation Administration regulations also allow for others with official reasons to be there like a Defense Department evaluator, an air traffic controller observing, a crew member or a representative of the manufacturer. —Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026

The extent of the damage at the tower is not known, but the FAA said that air traffic controllers are back in the tower. —Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

The company will deliver next-generation cooperative and non-cooperative radar systems, giving air traffic controllers reliable and secure information to support operations. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for air traffic controller

• ambipolar
• areolar
• bronchiolar
• circumpolar
• equimolar
• monopolar
• multipolar
• nucleolar
• unipolar
• vacuolar
• arteriolar
• microcontroller