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

More than 300 Idaho airmen from the 124th Fighter Wing were previously deployed to the area of responsibility in March 2025 for three months. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2026

Enemy forces had moved within two miles of the airman's position. —Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

Cargo planes flew in three small helicopters and assembled them near the patch of mountains where the missing airman was concealing himself inside a cave or crevice. —Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026

The president also threatened to jail journalists at the media outlet that first reported a second airman was missing — which the government had hoped to keep secret. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 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