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

The air traffic controller handling the flight in the control tower at the time of the crash had only been on duty for 17 minutes when the crash happened, the NTSB said. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Just four minutes before clearing the plane for landing, an air traffic controller had provided a wind advisory to a different flight, noting gusts of up to 25 mph (40 kph) from the south. — ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026

The air traffic controller tried to direct the pilot to the nearest airport — Paso Robles, about 60 miles away. — Jenny Jarvie follow, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

The disruption came after a fiber-optic cable was severed in New Jersey, causing a telecommunications issue between air traffic controllers and pilots. — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 22 Sep. 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