air lock

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noun

Civil Engineering. an airtight chamber permitting passage to or from a space, as in a caisson, in which the air is kept under pressure.

the impedance in the functioning of a pump or a system of piping caused by the presence of an air bubble; vapor lock.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of air lock

First recorded in 1855–60

Words nearby air lock

air-lift pump, airlight, airline, airline chicken breast, airliner, air lock, air log, air-logged, airmada, airmail, airman

Other definitions for air lock (2 of 2)

air-lock

[ air-lok ]

/ ˈɛərˌlɒk /

verb (used with object)

to place in or confine to an air lock: to air-lock divers before they descend.

Origin of air-lock

First recorded in 1855–60

How to use air lock in a sentence

Exiting the air lock, we walked over to the source of the pink light.
Meet the Renaissance Man Obsessed with Mushrooms|Doug Bierend|March 10, 2021|Outside Online
Hidden in the corner behind a zip-up air lock was Padilla-Brown’s lab.
Meet the Renaissance Man Obsessed with Mushrooms|Doug Bierend|March 10, 2021|Outside Online
He rose lazily and opened the air lock, then turned and freed her.
A World is Born|Leigh Douglass Brackett
In this suit I step out through the air lock onto the wreck.
Boy Scouts in the North Sea|G. Harvey Ralphson

But at that moment Scott cried out sharply, pointing out through the port by the air lock.
Feline Red|Robert Sampson
When the pumps in the air lock began pulling out the methane-laden atmosphere, they began to bulge slightly, but not excessively.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett
He nodded to Ruiz, who secured the air lock, then adjusted his suit control to force a little pressure into his suit.
Tight Squeeze|Dean Charles Ing

British Dictionary definitions for air lock

airlock

/ (ˈɛəˌlɒk) /

noun

a bubble in a pipe causing an obstruction or stoppage to the flow

an airtight chamber with regulated air pressure used to gain access to a space that has air under pressure

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