air mass

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noun

a body of air covering a relatively wide area, exhibiting approximately uniform properties through any horizontal section.

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Origin of air mass

First recorded in 1890–95

Words nearby air mass

airman, airmanship, Airman's Medal, air map, air marshal, air mass, air mattress, Air Medal, air meter, air mile, Air Miles

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use air mass in a sentence

They are being fueled by an unstable, humid air mass on westerly-southwesterly winds.
Risk of severe storms decreases with drier air pushing into region|Jason Samenow, Jeffrey Halverson|July 21, 2021|Washington Post
Hot, dry weather to increase fire riskIn addition to the hot temperatures, the sultry air mass will spur additional wildfire growth and ignition across the West, where dozens of fires are already raging.
Yet another major heat wave is set to roast the western U.S. and Canada by the weekend|Matthew Cappucci|July 14, 2021|Washington Post
The chilly air mass over Washington is overtaking much of the eastern two-thirds of the United States, from the northern Rockies to northern Florida.
Abnormally chilly weather to hover over D.C., may delay cicada outburst|Jason Samenow|May 6, 2021|Washington Post
All models, in general, seem to have difficulty properly simulating the arrival of a “warm plume” above the colder air mass.
Sleet vs. snow: The reason behind Thursday’s icy mess|Jeffrey Halverson|February 19, 2021|Washington Post

We’ll have to see just how cold this air mass ends up being.
D.C.-area forecast: Showers today, with soaking rain tonight|A. Camden Walker, Jason Samenow|December 4, 2020|Washington Post
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
Charred beams and blackened walls showed stark and gaunt in the glow of a smoldering mass of wreckage.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
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

British Dictionary definitions for air mass

air mass

noun

a large body of air having characteristics of temperature, moisture, and pressure that are approximately uniform horizontally

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 mass

air mass

A widespread body of air that originates over a large area of land or ocean and assumes the temperature and humidity of that area, with characteristics distributed fairly evenly throughout the horizontal layers of the mass. Air that stands over the Caribbean Sea, for example, becomes a warm, humid maritime tropical air mass, while air that lies in the Arctic regions of northern Canada takes on the cold and dry characteristics of its surroundings and becomes a continental polar air mass. When air masses of differing properties come into contact in the middle latitudes, they frequently generate storm fronts.