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airflow

American  
[air-floh] / ˈɛərˌfloʊ /

noun

  1. the air flowing past or through a moving body, as an airplane or automobile.

airflow British  
/ ˈɛəˌfləʊ /

noun

  1. the flow of air in a wind tunnel or past a moving aircraft, car, train, etc; airstream

"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

Etymology

Origin of airflow

First recorded in 1910–15; air 1 + flow

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.

They passed air through larynges removed from deceased horses and then alternated the airflow between normal air and helium.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

The dead are placed in sealed vessels bedded with clover, hay and straw and equipped to regulate airflow, temperature and moisture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

The dead are placed in a sealed vessel bedded with clover, hay and straw and equipped to regulate airflow, temperature and moisture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Using continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, can help lower that risk by improving sleep quality and maintaining steady airflow throughout the night.

From Science Daily • Nov. 27, 2025

Joe was isolated in a special room with negative airflow, just in case he did have TB, which can spread in the air and is highly contagious.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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.