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
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The March 22 crash killed two pilots and sent 40 others to the hospital after an air traffic controller cleared a fire truck to cross a runway where the Air Canada plane was already instructed to land. Doha Madani, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026 New York — The air traffic controller who cleared a fire truck to cross an active runway at LaGuardia Airport last month had minutes before told a plane to land on the same runway, according to a new report on the deadly March 23 collision from the National Transportation Safety Board. Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026 The recording also indicated that air traffic control had given the fire truck permission to cross the runway to reach the United plane, after which an air traffic controller told the truck to stop. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 Two air traffic controllers were on duty on the night of the crash, consistent with normal scheduling. ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026 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

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Cite this Entry

“Air traffic controller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20traffic%20controller. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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