antiaircraft gun
1
5.3
- noun
- /ˌæn.tiˈɛr.kræft ɡʌn/
- Specialized
:
cañón antiaéreo
- It was a Soviet antiaircraft gun, fifteen feet long and double-barreled.
- fire antiaircraft guns
- mount antiaircraft guns
- radar-guided antiaircraft guns
Examples
-
The A-10s used their 30-mm cannon extensively to attack ground vehicles, but the A-10s in Desert Storm were also equipped with Maverick missiles, which they used to attack heavily defended targets from altitudes above the reach of antiaircraft guns.
Academic text (1991) -
The military deployed several antiaircraft guns to protect the base from aerial attacks.
-
LUKE: They got about 500 antiaircraft guns around Bremen.
-
We want to put this 40 millimeter antiaircraft gun in your yard, sir.
-
- The Swiss make an antiaircraft gun - called the Oerlikon.
-
In order to minimize losses against these tactics, coalition air forces generally flew at night and at altitudes above the reach of the antiaircraft guns.
Academic text (1991) -
It showed the airplane isolated on the tarmac and the ring of soldiers and antiaircraft guns that protected the approaches to the plane.
Fiction book (1990) -
Because of the high density of antiaircraft guns in Iraq, most of the bombs were released at medium or high altitudes, which decreased the accuracy of delivery of the "dumb bombs."
Academic text (1991) -
German defensive fighters and antiaircraft guns decimated the attackers, so that Bomber Command was forced to retreat to the safety of night operations, something for which it was neither trained nor equipped.
Academic text (1993) -
The CIA chief said, "Mr. President, you must know that the antiaircraft guns around Dak are manned by Americans on civilian contracts to the Sherhaben government and the American oil companies."
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
7
5.6
Guns or missiles used to shoot down aircraft
A large gun on the ground that shoots at enemy planes
A large automatic gun with two barrels used to shoot at enemy planes
A small fast-firing gun on ships used to shoot at aircraft
How Powerful
- Specialized
1
6.3
- Specialized
33
7.6
- Specialized
7
5.6
- Specialized
1
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'antiaircraft' (designed to engage aircraft) combined with 'gun' yields a gun intended to fire at or destroy aircraft. This adjective+noun compound follows transparent, cross-linguistic compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun antiaircraft gun comes from its job: anti means 'against' and aircraft means 'plane', so it is a gun on the ground aimed up to shoot at planes. That's why it means 'a gun used to shoot down planes from the ground'.