airway

noun

air·​way ˈer-ˌwā 

1

: a passage for a current of air (as in a mine or to the lungs)

2

: a designated route along which airplanes fly from airport to airport

especially : such a route equipped with navigational aids

3

: airline

4

: a channel of a designated radio frequency for broadcasting or other radio communication

Examples of airway in a Sentence

a patient with a partially blocked airway

Recent Examples on the Web

Food and liquid must move from the mouth to the stomach while the airway closes in a fraction of a second to keep material out of the lungs. — Sundeep Venkatesan, The Conversation, 3 Aug. 2026

Infants have small airways that can get clogged during coughing spells, leading to difficulty breathing and dangerous drops in oxygen. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Feely and Shah overlapped on the Jets during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, when Shah worked home games as an airway management physician, according to his campaign. — Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 23 July 2026

The state exam should be able to assess the lungs, airways and other thoracic organs, helping answer questions about drowning and time of death, according to Keel. — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing airway

• bilevel positive airway pressure
• continuous positive airway pressure

Rhymes for airway

• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

airway

noun

air·​way -ˌwā 

1

: a passage for a current of air

especially : one through which air passes to and from the lungs

2

: a regular route for aircraft

especially : one equipped with aids for guiding aircraft

3

: airline

Medical Definition

airway

noun

air·​way -ˌwā 

: a passageway for air into or out of the lungs

specifically : a device passed into the trachea by way of the mouth or nose or through an incision to maintain a clear respiratory passageway (as during anesthesia, convulsions, or in obstructive laryngitis) see upper airway