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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Then at approximately 10:05 a.m., an air traffic controller spotted another plane in its path and quickly called for the Delta crew to cancel takeoff. Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025 The report details the last minutes of the flight, including communication between the pilot and an air traffic controller. Karen Kucher, Mercury News, 9 July 2025 The Guardian reported that officials attempted to chase the bear off the runway to no avail, causing air traffic controllers to cancel 12 flights. Raven Brunner, People.com, 26 June 2025 When the transmitters went down, air traffic controllers used another frequency to communicate instructions to pilots, and all aircraft remained safely separated, federal officials said after the May 12 outage. Katie Langford, Denver Post, 19 June 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Air traffic controller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20traffic%20controller. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!