aerobic

American  

[ai-roh-, uh-roh-bik] / ɛəˈroʊ-, əˈroʊ bɪk /

adjective

1. (of an organism or tissue) requiring the presence of air or free oxygen for life.

2. pertaining to or caused by the presence of oxygen.

3. of or utilizing the principles of aerobics.

   aerobic exercises;

   aerobic dances.

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aerobic British  

/ ɛəˈrəʊbɪk /

adjective

1. (of an organism or process) depending on oxygen

2. of or relating to aerobes

3. designed for or relating to aerobics

   aerobic shoes

   aerobic dances

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aerobic Scientific  

/ â-rō′bĭk /

1. Occurring in the presence of oxygen or requiring oxygen to live. In aerobic respiration, which is the process used by the cells of most organisms, the production of energy from glucose metabolism requires the presence of oxygen.

2. Compare anaerobic

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aerobic Cultural  

1. In biology, a descriptive term for organisms that require the presence of oxygen to live. (Compare anaerobic.)

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Discover More

Aerobic exercise, such as running, swimming, and doing calisthenics for an extended time, is designed to improve the body's use of oxygen.

Other Word Forms

• aerobically
  adverb
• nonaerobic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of aerobic

First recorded in 1880–85; aerobe + -ic

Compare meaning

How does aerobic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aerobic vs. anaerobic

Explanation

When you run for a mile, and start breathing hard, get your blood pounding and your heart rate up, you are doing aerobic exercise: exercise that depends on and consumes oxygen. We are aerobic creatures because we breathe air in order to live, and aerobic describes anything that uses oxygen to survive. Most of the time, this word is connected to exercise: activity that increases the rate at which your body uses oxygen. There is an entire exercising industry — quite the craze in the 80s — known simply as aerobics. Aerobics consists of dance moves and jumping exercises designed to get your blood flowing and your heart rate up.

Example Sentences

The performance is as much an aerobic workout as a vocal one.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

But matching exercise with chronotype produced larger health gains in blood pressure, aerobic capacity, metabolic markers and sleep quality.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

"Their bodies were more efficiently using oxygen, which is a sign of higher aerobic capacity," Lessard said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

"Over time, the diet caused remodeling of the mice's muscles, making them more oxidative and making them react better to aerobic exercise."

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

While 75-80 percent of the energy a rower produces in a two-thousand-meter race is aerobic energy fueled by oxygen, races always begin, and usually end, with hard sprints.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown