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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lilley said he was particularly struck by the FAA’s lack of alcohol testing for air traffic controllers after the crash. Josh Funk, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2025 An air traffic controller failed to notify the crew of a commercial plane that an Army helicopter was moving toward the aircraft before the collision in Washington, D.C., in January that killed 67 people, a Federal Aviation Administration official said on Thursday. Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025 Clark Allen, the former operations manager of the control tower at DCA, was asked Thursday about the training for the air traffic controllers. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 31 July 2025 The hearing’s second panel examined the communications between the Black Hawk, the passenger jet, and the air traffic controller, as well as the routes the aircraft were flying. Ben Mause, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for air traffic controller

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of air traffic controller was in 1922

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Air traffic controller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20traffic%20controller. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!