air

1 of 2

noun

ˈer

plural airs

Synonyms of air next

: the mixture of invisible odorless tasteless gases (such as nitrogen and oxygen) that surrounds the earth

also : the equivalent mix of gases on another celestial object (such as a planet)

… the thin, frigid air of Mars. —

Stefano S. Coledan

: a light breeze

archaic : breath

a(1)

: aircraft

traveling by air

—often used before another noun

air travel

(2)

: aviation

—often used before another noun

air safety

air rights

(3)

: air force

—often used before another noun

air headquarters

b(1)

: the medium of transmission of radio waves

also : radio, television

went on the air

(2)

: airtime

: outward appearance of a thing

an air of luxury

: a surrounding or pervading influence : atmosphere

an air of mystery

: the look, appearance, or bearing of a person especially as expressive of some personal quality or emotion : demeanor

an air of dignity

: an artificial or affected manner

put on airs

: nothingness

—usually used in the phrases into thin air and out of thin air

vanished/disappeared into thin air

… nor did any of them seem to have noticed that six people had just melted into thin air in front of them.—

J. K. Rowling

… jobs can't just be created out of thin air.—

The Wall Street Journal

: empty space

old-fashioned : a sudden severance of relations

She gave me the air.

[probably translation of Italian aria]

: tune, melody

a lilting air

: the chief voice part or melody in choral music

Elizabethan and Jacobean music : an accompanied song or melody in usually strophic form

: an air-conditioning system

a house with central air

: public utterance

He gave air to his opinion.

: a football offense utilizing primarily the forward pass

Trailing by 20 points, the team took to the air.

: the height achieved in performing an aerial maneuver

a snowboarder catching big air

also : the maneuver itself

: compressed air

airless

ˈer-ləs

adjective

airlessness noun

air

2 of 2

verb

aired; airing; airs

transitive verb

: to expose to the air for drying, purifying, or refreshing : ventilate

—often used with out

He opened the windows to air out the room.

: to expose to public view or bring to public notice

aired their complaints

: to transmit by radio or television

air a program

intransitive verb

: to become exposed to the open air

The blankets were left outside to air.

: to become broadcast

a program that airs daily

Phrases

in the air

: being felt or expressed by many people : in wide circulation

There was a sense of anticipation in the air.

up in the air

: not yet settled

a question that's still up in the air

Choose the Right Synonym for air

Noun

pose, air, airs, affectation, mannerism mean an adopted way of speaking or behaving.

pose implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others.

her shyness was just a pose

air may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life.

a traveler's sophisticated air

airs always implies artificiality and pretentiousness.

snobbish airs

affectation applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere.

the posh accent is an affectation

mannerism applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit.

gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism

Verb

express, vent, utter, voice, broach, air mean to make known what one thinks or feels.

express suggests an impulse to reveal in words, gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces.

expressed her feelings in music

vent stresses a strong inner compulsion to express especially in words.

a tirade venting his frustration

utter implies the use of the voice not necessarily in articulate speech.

utter a groan

voice does not necessarily imply vocal utterance but does imply expression or formulation in words.

an editorial voicing their concerns

broach adds the implication of disclosing for the first time something long thought over or reserved for a suitable occasion.

broached the subject of a divorce

air implies an exposing or parading of one's views often in order to gain relief or sympathy or attention.

publicly airing their differences

Examples of air in a Sentence

Noun These laws are meant to produce cleaner air. A delicious smell filled the air. I like to dine outdoors in the open air. He can't breathe! Everybody move back and give him some air! High in the mountains the air is thin and it can be hard to breathe. He pumped air into the bicycle tire. The city is wonderful seen from the air. the fish of the sea and the birds of the air The balloon rose up into the air and then floated through the air. There has been heavy fighting on the ground and in the air. Verb The blankets were left outside to air. She opened the windows to air the room. The company had a meeting so that employees could air their complaints. The interview will be aired tomorrow. The interview will air tomorrow. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Just like the unlikely harmony of peanut butter and chocolate, there's a mysterious magic to the blow dryer/air purifier combo that proves Shark knows something the rest of us don't. —

Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 27 Nov. 2023 As the lights fell at the start of the show, the packed audience brimmed with expectation and the air rang with cheers. —

Billboard Japan, Billboard, 27 Nov. 2023 The fists pumped in the air for Morgan Wallen’s anthems? —

Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023 In Israel’s responding air and ground attacks on Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, more than 13,000 people have been reported killed. —

Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2023 Her dancers follow from the ground like apostles, and the crowd takes in the entire spectacle with an air of awe. —

Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2023 The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the sea on Saturday, days after Beijing accused Manila of enlisting foreign forces to patrol the South China Sea, referring to joint patrols by the Philippine and U.S. militaries. —

Reuters, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2023 The friendly and accessible spice in the rum is made juicy by the orange liqueur and sweetly accented by the cinnamon sugar rim, lovely for the early Holiday season when winter is still just a crackle in the air and a kiss of sweet spice is a perfect way to spend an evening. —

Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 25 Nov. 2023 Inflammation and irritation: Your nose can become inflamed or irritated (a reaction that’s medically known as rhinitis) because of allergies, infections, and poor air quality, Dr. Husain says. —

Beth Krietsch, SELF, 15 Nov. 2023

Verb

The 24th annual show will also air on cable channel TNT at 7:30 p.m. in Mexico, 8:30 p.m. in Panama and Colombia, 9:30 p.m. in Venezuela and 10:30 p.m. in Argentina and Chile. —

Caroline Brew, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023 Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy return as judges for the latest season, which airs Wednesdays on Fox at 8 p.m. —

Lars Brandle, Billboard, 16 Nov. 2023 Yellowstone, earlier this month, had set a premiere date of November 2024 for the second half of its fifth and final season, which last aired its midseason finale Jan. 6, 2023, and will usher in the end of the series. —

Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023 That rendition premieres exclusively here below, ahead of the full episode’s debut airing on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET. —

Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 16 Nov. 2023 But the following year, the special aired on HBO Max, and Schwimmer gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at the cast’s preparation. —

Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023 After the filming, but before the segment aired, Dr. Youn returned home to Detroit, a rookie surgeon launching a fledgling practice. —

Jolene Edgar, Allure, 15 Nov. 2023 The young, vibrant Kennedy was the first president to embrace television, welcoming cameras into news conferences and the White House, where the glamorous first lady gave a live tour in 1962 that aired on CBS, NBC and ABC. —

Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023 Most of the shows that were part of the network’s primetime lineup were supposed to air beginning in September and are now expected to run for shorter 10 to 13 episode seasons, according to Variety. —

Ana Faguy, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'air.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin aer, from Greek aēr air

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of air was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing air

Cite this Entry

Style

“Air.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

air

1 of 2 noun

ˈa(ə)r

ˈe(ə)r

: the invisible mixture of odorless tasteless gases (as nitrogen and oxygen) that surrounds the earth

: a light breeze

: the state of being empty or nothing

—usually used in the phrase into thin air

vanished into thin air

: tune entry 1 sense 1, melody

: outward appearance

an air of mystery

plural : an artificial way of acting

put on airs

: compressed air

put air in a tire

: aircraft

travel by air

: aviation

air safety

: the substance through which radio waves travel

: a radio or television broadcast

went on the air

: an air-conditioning system

turn on the air

: the height achieved in performing a maneuver in the air

a snowboarder catching big air

air

2 of 2 verb

: to place in the air for cooling, freshening, or cleaning

air blankets

: to make known in public

air one's complaints

: to broadcast on radio or television

Medical Definition

air

noun

ˈa(ə)r, ˈe(ə)r

: a mixture of invisible odorless tasteless sound-transmitting gases that is composed by volume chiefly of 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, 0.03 percent carbon dioxide, varying amounts of water vapor, and minute amounts of rare gases (as helium), that surrounds the earth with half its mass within four miles of the earth's surface, that has a pressure at sea level of about 14.7 pounds per square inch, and that has a density of 1.293 grams per liter at 0°C and 760 mm pressure

Last Updated: 30 Nov 2023 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

bifurcate

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

air

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of air in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near air

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on air

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

bifurcate

Games & Quizzes

air

noun

verb

Synonyms

Examples of air in a Sentence

Word History

Phrases Containing air

Articles Related to air

Dictionary Entries Near air

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on air

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

bifurcate

Games & Quizzes