air

[ air ]

/ ɛər /

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See synonyms for air on Thesaurus.com

noun

a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and minute amounts of other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere.

a stir in the atmosphere; a light breeze.

overhead space; sky: The planes filled the air.

circulation; publication; publicity: to give air to one's theories.

the general character or complexion of anything; appearance: His early work had an air of freshness and originality.

the peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person: There is an air of mystery about him.

airs, affected or unnatural manner; manifestation of pride or vanity; assumed haughtiness: He acquired airs that were insufferable to his friends.

Music.

a tune; melody.
the soprano or treble part.
an aria.
Also ayre . an Elizabethan art song.

aircraft as a means of transportation: to arrive by air;to ship goods by air.

Informal. air conditioning or an air-conditioning system: The price includes tires, radio, and air.

Sports.

(during an airborne stunt) the height between the ground and an athlete or an athlete with their equipment: The BMX course was designed for riders to get good air.
such a jump or other airborne stunt: The snowboarder took first place with four clean airs.

Radio. the medium through which radio waves are transmitted.

Archaic. breath.

verb (used with object)

to expose to the air; give access to the open air; ventilate (often followed by out): We air the bedrooms every day.

to expose ostentatiously; bring to public notice; display: to air one's opinions;to air one's theories.

to broadcast or televise.

verb (used without object)

to be exposed to the open air (often followed by out): Open the window and let the room air out.

to be broadcast or televised.

adjective

operating by means of air pressure or by acting upon air: an air drill;an air pump.

of or relating to aircraft or to aviation: air industry.

taking place in the air; aerial: air war.

OTHER WORDS FOR air

5, 6 aspect.

6 aura, demeanor, attitude.

See synonyms for air on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about air

clear the air, to eliminate dissension, ambiguity, or tension from a discussion, situation, etc.: The staff meeting was intended to help clear the air.

get some air,

to take a break from an unpleasant encounter or stifling environment: She walked away from the argument to get some air.
to take a short rest.

get the air, Informal.

to be rejected, as by a lover.
to be dismissed, as by an employer: He had worked only a few days when he got the air.

give (someone) the air, Informal.

to reject, as a lover: He was bitter because she gave him the air.
to dismiss, as an employee.

in the air, in circulation; current: There's a rumor in the air that we're moving to a new location.

into thin air, completely out of sight or reach: He vanished into thin air.

off the air,

not broadcasting: The station goes off the air at midnight.
not broadcast; out of operation as a broadcast: The program went off the air years ago.

on the air, in the act of broadcasting; being broadcast: The program will be going on the air in a few seconds.

put on airs, to assume an affected or haughty manner: As their fortune increased, they began to put on airs.

take the air,

to go out-of-doors; take a short walk or ride.
Slang. to leave, especially hurriedly.
to begin broadcasting.

up in the air,

Also in the air . undecided or unsettled: The contract is still up in the air.
Informal. angry; perturbed: There is no need to get up in the air over a simple mistake.

walk / tread on air, to feel very happy; be elated.

Origin of air

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English eir, from Old French air, from Latin āēr- (accusative āerem ), from Greek āer- (stem of āḗr ) “the lower atmosphere”; conflated with (especially for defs. 4, 5) French air, Old French aire “nature, character,” Latin ager “field” (cf. acre) and ārea “threshing floor, clearing, area ”; and with (for def. 7) French air, from Italian aria aria

synonym study for air

2. See wind¹. 6. See manner¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM air

airlike, adjectiveun·aired, adjectivewell-aired, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH air

1. air , e'er, ere, heir2. air , er, err

Other definitions for air (2 of 4)

air²

[ air ]

/ ɛər /

Scot.

adjective

early.

adverb

Obsolete. before; previously.

Origin of air

see origin at ere

Other definitions for air (3 of 4)

a-i-r

abbreviation

artist-in-residence.

Other definitions for air (4 of 4)

Aïr

[ ah-eer ]

/ ˈɑ ɪər /

noun

a region in northern Niger, in the Sahara: low massif and oases. About 30,000 sq. mi. (77,700 sq. km).

Also called As·ben

[ahs-ben] /ɑsˈbɛn/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use air in a sentence

And Air Force assessors are the first to say such imaging never tells the whole story.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sprawled on chaise lounges with their knees high in the air and their legs spread wide.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, Lion Air, with 45 percent of the domestic Indonesian airline market, has swallowed the Fernandes formula whole.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is a larger reason, beyond the airlines themselves, why Lion Air and 61 other Indonesian airlines are on this black list.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The Pentagon said Faal served in the Air Force for seven years, during which time he became a U.S. citizen.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Bells were pealing and tolling in all directions, and the air was filled with the sound of distant shouts and cries.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
It is to be remembered, however, that a few of these bacteria may reach the sputum from the upper air-passages.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
We had now approached closely to the foot of the mountain-ranges, and their lofty summits were high above us in mid-air.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
He stood, with the air of a hero, both arms extended towards the amazed pair of lovers.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Their method of curing the leaves was to air-dry them and then packing them until wanted for use.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for air (1 of 3)

air

/ (ɛə) /

noun

the mixture of gases that forms the earth's atmosphere. At sea level dry air has a density of 1.226 kilograms per cubic metre and consists of 78.08 per cent nitrogen, 20.95 per cent oxygen, 0.93 per cent argon, 0.03 per cent carbon dioxide, with smaller quantities of ozone and inert gases; water vapour varies between 0 and 4 per cent and in industrial areas sulphur gases may be present as pollutants

the space above and around the earth; skyRelated adjective: aerial

breeze; slight wind

public expression; utteranceto give air to one's complaints

a distinctive qualityan air of mystery

a person's distinctive appearance, manner, or bearing

music

a simple tune for either vocal or instrumental performance
another word for aria

transportation in aircraft (esp in the phrase by air)

an archaic word for breath (def. 1), breath (def. 2), breath (def. 3)

Australian informal the height gained when getting airborne in surfing, snowboarding, etc

clear the air to rid a situation of tension or discord by settling misunderstandings, etc

give someone the air slang to reject or dismiss someone

in the air

in circulation; current
in the process of being decided; unsettled

into thin air leaving no trace behind

off the air not in the act of broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or television

on the air in the act of broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or television

out of thin air or from thin air suddenly and unexpectedly

take the air to go out of doors, as for a short walk or ride

up in the air

uncertain
informal agitated or excited

walk on air to feel elated or exhilarated

(modifier) astrology of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Gemini, Libra, and AquariusCompare earth (def. 10), fire (def. 24), water (def. 12)

verb

to expose or be exposed to the air so as to cool or freshen; ventilateto air a room

to expose or be exposed to warm or heated air so as to dryto air linen

(tr) to make known publicly; display; publicizeto air one's opinions

(intr) (of a television or radio programme) to be broadcast

Word Origin for air

C13: via Old French and Latin from Greek aēr the lower atmosphere

British Dictionary definitions for air (2 of 3)

AIR

abbreviation for

All India Radio

British Dictionary definitions for air (3 of 3)

Aïr

/ (ˈɑːɪə) /

noun

a mountainous region of N central Niger, in the Sahara, rising to 1500 m (5000 ft): a former native kingdom. Area: about 77 700 sq km (30 000 sq miles)Also called: Azbine, Asben

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for air

air

[ âr ]

The colorless, odorless, tasteless mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth. Air consists of about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, with the remaining part made up mainly of argon, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, and krypton in decreasing order of volume. Air also contains varying amounts of water vapor, particulate matter such as dust and soot, and chemical pollutants.

Other Idioms and Phrases with air

air

In addition to the idiom beginning with air

air one's grievances

also see:

breath of fresh air
castles in the air
clear the air
give someone the air
hot air
in the air
into (out of) thin air
nose in the air
off the air
put on airs
up in the air
walk on air
wash (air) one's dirty linen

air

OTHER WORDS FOR air

Idioms about air

Origin of air

synonym study for air

OTHER WORDS FROM air

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH air

Other definitions for air (2 of 4)

Origin of air

Other definitions for air (3 of 4)

Other definitions for air (4 of 4)

Words related to air

How to use air in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for air (1 of 3)

Word Origin for air

British Dictionary definitions for air (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for air (3 of 3)

Scientific definitions for air

Other Idioms and Phrases with air