air quotes
Americanplural noun
Etymology
Origin of air quotes
First recorded in 1985–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There was this fear of making a mistake — air quotes — that would lead to two Republicans in the runoff.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
Gaffigan is serious enough about his pursuit to say “my whiskey journey” several times in conversation with a straight face and no air quotes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025
Dahlia and I always put this “doctrine” in air quotes.
From Slate • Jul. 8, 2025
“Like, how can I be an ‘expert’ — and I say that with heavy, heavy air quotes — and still be struggling in this way?”
From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2024
I put air quotes around safety, as if it weren’t really a thing to be concerned about.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
