air conditioning

American  

[air kuhn-dish-uh-ning] / ˈɛər kənˈdɪʃ ə nɪŋ /

noun

1. a system or process for controlling the temperature, humidity, and sometimes the purity of the air in an interior, as of an office, theater, laboratory, or house, especially one capable of cooling.

2. an air-conditioning system or unit.

---

air conditioning British  

noun

1. a system or process for controlling the temperature and sometimes the humidity and purity of the air in a house, etc

---

Other Word Forms

• air conditioner
  noun
• air-conditioning
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of air conditioning

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

At that time, there was only one boat a month, and the journey took up to six days without any air conditioning, while passengers today can pay for more comfortable sleeping cabins.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

It’s got bravery and heart and a masked killer costumed like an air conditioning vent.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Food spoils because of a lack of refrigeration, and people can’t use air conditioning or fans as temperatures rise to the high 80s.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

But in the age of air conditioning and algorithm-driven markets, these conditions no longer apply, according to Athanasios Psarofagis, an ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

It was a warm day, and they had the air conditioning turned all the way up.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola