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Synonyms

airflow

American  
[air-floh] / ˈɛərˌfloʊ /

noun

  • airflows
    plural
  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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

Headquartered in Mulfingen, Germany, Ebm-Papst supplies high-performance airflow technologies, as well as integrated electronically commutated fan and motor systems, according to Madison Air.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, the region’s sticky humidity is thanks to an airflow pattern bringing moist, tropical air to Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 2, 2026

While it has been widely reported that the helicopters' exhaust scorches grass, Trump added Monday that the airflow is so powerful, the lawn actually "gets ripped out."

From Barron's Jul. 6, 2026

"We noticed our fan would go haywire at 5 Shaft. Some areas would show reduced or even reversed airflow during large rain events," Connot said.

From Science Daily Jul. 6, 2026

“Look in the back,” Dad hollered above the noise of the engine and airflow.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

This method let them assess heat at the street level, where temperatures vary locally based on human activity, 3-D urban geometry and airflows.

From Scientific American Jun. 27, 2022

It includes all the engineering controls that keep the scientists and their surroundings safe: enclosed, ventilated workspaces called biosafety cabinets, directional airflows and anterooms to control air movement inside the lab.

From Salon Jun. 25, 2021

Or you could just think like a bug: architects are mimicking the natural cooling airflows of termite burrows.

From The Guardian Jan. 15, 2020

“The constant swirling airflows reduce pressure from fungus. And we have exposure for days.”

From Reuters Jun. 28, 2018

Aerodynamic equations describing transonic airflows might contain as many as thirty-five variables.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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