air guitar

American  

noun

1. an imaginary guitar that one pretends to be playing.

   a fan playing air guitar along with the band.

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air guitar British  

noun

1. an imaginary guitar played while miming to rock music

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Other Word Forms

• air guitarist noun

Etymology

Origin of air guitar

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Oliver summons his son by joyfully remembering his virtuosity on air guitar.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025

This was, he claimed, evidence of him performing "air guitar", nothing else.

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2023

But each one catches your eye with small-scale wonders and charm: Culbreath busting out some air guitar and the Moonwalk, Emily Pietruszka popping like a fierce robot.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2023

Not to his adoring public, some of whom likely strummed out some air guitar riffs in parasocial celebration.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2022

There were cards that required you to play an air guitar solo, speak like an English-dubbed anime character, eat leaves like a giraffe, engage in staring contests, and end every sentence with the word dawg.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater