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
Some might also need to go to a hospital if swelling occurs in the airways and restricts breathing.
—
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 16 July 2025
Alongside requiring higher dosages of anesthesia, Hairston explained that patients with higher BMIs may already have breathing issues, and in the event of an emergency, the clinic team may not be able to secure their airway.
—Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2025
Less than five months after D.B. Cooper's hijacking, McCoy hijacked a United Airlines flight using a nearly identical method, including a ransom demand, a Boeing 727 with a rear airway and a parachute escape.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 4 July 2025
Constriction of the airway, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
—Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for airway
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Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 16 July 2025
Alongside requiring higher dosages of anesthesia, Hairston explained that patients with higher BMIs may already have breathing issues, and in the event of an emergency, the clinic team may not be able to secure their airway.
—Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2025
Less than five months after D.B. Cooper's hijacking, McCoy hijacked a United Airlines flight using a nearly identical method, including a ransom demand, a Boeing 727 with a rear airway and a parachute escape.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 4 July 2025
Constriction of the airway, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
—Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for airway
Cite this Entry
“Airway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airway. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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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
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