midair

noun mid·air \ ˈmid-ˈer \

Updated on: 26 May 2018

Definition of midair

: a point or region in the air not immediately adjacent to the ground

the planes collided in midair

See midair defined for English-language learners

See midair defined for kids

Examples of midair in a Sentence

The two planes collided in midair.
We watched birds catching insects in midair.

Recent Examples of midair from the Web

In April, when an engine exploded in midair on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Dallas, a gust of shrapnel blew out a window in the cabin and partially sucked a 43-year-old woman headfirst into the sky.

— BostonGlobe.com, "A windshield shattered on a plane in China, pulling the pilot partly through the window," 15 May 2018
Chinese aviation authorities are investigating how the cockpit windshield of a Sichuan Airlines Airbus A319 jetliner blew out in midair, endangering the plane and those on board.

— trefor moss, WSJ, "China Investigating How Cockpit Windshield Blew Out of Sichuan Airlines Flight," 15 May 2018
Vibrantly glowing inside a dark hall, a small ball of fire burned suspended midair.

— tara knight, The Root, "Beyond the Blue," 13 May 2018
One ricocheted off of the crossbar, floating midair for seconds that felt like an eternity.

— glynn a. hill, Houston Chronicle, "El Campo native Memo Rodriguez scores difference in Dynamo's win over Galaxy," 5 May 2018
Investigators said an engine, made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and France’s Safran, suffered a catastrophic failure in midair when a fan blade broke, creating shrapnel that punctured a window in the plane.

— steve lohr, New York Times, "G.E. Earnings Show Some Signs of a Turnaround," 20 Apr. 2018
The Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident was one of 144 passengers and five crew members on Flight 1380 when the midair accident occurred near Philadelphia, en route to Dallas from New York on Tuesday.

— mary schlangenstein, Bloomberg.com, "Southwest Airlines Gives $5,000 to Passengers on Fatal Flight," 20 Apr. 2018
The baseball comes flying toward him and Terry snags it with his glove, pops the ball up in the air, drops the glove and grabs the ball in midair with his bare left hand, firing it back to the mound or to a base to try to get a runner out.

— samantha pell, chicagotribune.com, "'It's unreal': Tweet turns one-armed high school catcher into a viral star," 5 Apr. 2018
Soon, another job will be added to the list: refueling aircraft in midair.

— samantha masunaga, latimes.com, "Competition to build the Navy's MQ-25 flying tanker shows how drone fighters are taking on new roles," 25 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'midair.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of midair

1605

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

MIDAIR Defined for English Language Learners

midair

noun

Definition of midair for English Language Learners

: a region in the air not close to the ground

MIDAIR Defined for Kids

midair

noun mid·air \ ˈmid-ˈer \

Definition of midair for Students

: a region in the air some distance above the ground

The bird hovered in midair.

Learn More about midair

See words that rhyme with midair Spanish Central: Translation of midair

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up midair? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

midair

Definition of midair

Examples of midair in a Sentence

Recent Examples of midair from the Web

First Known Use of midair

MIDAIR Defined for English Language Learners

midair

Definition of midair for English Language Learners

MIDAIR Defined for Kids

midair

Definition of midair for Students

Learn More about midair

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

riposte

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Noun + Verb Insult Generator

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

True or False?

Add Diction

8 Insults Made Up of a Noun and a Verb

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word

midair

Definition of midair

Examples of midair in a Sentence

Recent Examples of midair from the Web

First Known Use of midair

MIDAIR Defined for English Language Learners

midair

Definition of midair for English Language Learners

MIDAIR Defined for Kids

midair

Definition of midair for Students

Learn More about midair

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

8 Insults Made Up of a Noun and a Verb

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word