air support
35
4.1
- noun
- /ɛr səˈpɔrt/
:
apoyo aéreo
- The Green Berets called for air support to assist them in the intense firefight.
- close air support
And so we're trying to get control through air support.
- And so we're trying to get control through air support.
- Who do I call to like shut down the airspace and get us air support.
- And then actually the first time was just doing close air support and then machine gunning what was left.
- And as you know, during those war years, we got very good at integrating close air support and airborne ISR real time into a ground team.
- It means that we would have to shoot down Russian aircraft that were involved in either bombing or close air support on the battlefield.
- We believe we were going to have air support and it did take place the first two airstrike before the invasion.
- I can't appraise if like giving them air support is going to lead to World War Three or not.
- And I know we were calling in for air support to come pick up the guys because they had to go.
- That's when he gets super suspicious of the CIA because they literally set him up to fail with the thought that, you know, it doesn't matter, he'll just send air support.
Examples
-
But even after two Marine Corps battalions settled into the farmland, backed by U.S. air support and the most modern equipment available to any of the world's militaries, the resistance in Marja continued.
Academic text (2011) -
The U.S. thus would provide military assistance and air support to local tribal groups with the army's efforts to ensure the defeat of ISIS.
Academic text (2018) -
I need air support now.
-
We need air support immediately.
-
What kind of air support does he need?
Fiction book (1991) -
We'll need light air support.
Fiction book (1995) -
Right now, we need air support, ASAP!
-
The soldiers went from fighting to pleading for air support.
Blog text (7) -
The United States can now limit its contribution to strategic nuclear deterrence, air support, and offshore naval balancing in the region.
Academic text (2011) -
Even though the Luftwaffe was well defeated by D-Day, air support would play a pivotal role in D-Day operations.
Synonyms
9
5.0
Military aircraft protect soldiers or ships from enemy attack during an operation
How Protective
- Jargon
9
5.0
- Specialized
1
7.3
35
4.1
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'assistance provided by aircraft' is directly and compositionally derived from 'air' (relating to aviation) + 'support' (assistance/reinforcement). This compound is a transparent, cross-linguistic military collocation (e.g. Spanish 'apoyo aéreo', French 'soutien aérien'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Air support comes from a simple image: planes or helicopters in the sky (air) giving 'help' (support) to soldiers on the ground. That's why air support now means 'help from aircraft' for troops on the ground.