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Synonyms

airhead

1 American  
[air-hed] / ˈɛərˌhɛd /

noun

  1. Slang. a scatterbrained, stupid, or simple-minded person; dolt.

    Even though she's crazy about surfing, she's not the bikini-babe airhead you might think.
airhead 2 American  
[air-hed] / ˈɛərˌhɛd /

noun

  1. an area in enemy territory or in threatened friendly territory, seized by airborne troops for bringing in supplies and additional troops by airdrop or landing.

airhead 1 British  
/ ˈɛəˌhɛd /

noun

  1. military an area secured in hostile territory, used as a base for the supply and evacuation of troops and equipment by air

"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
airhead 2 British  
/ ˈɛəˌhɛd /

noun

  1. slang a stupid or simple-minded person; idiot

"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

  • airheaded adjective

Etymology

Origin of airhead1

First recorded probably earlier than 1975–80; air 1 + head

Origin of airhead2

air 1 + (beach)head

Explanation

An airhead is a silly, foolish person. If your friend spends fifteen minutes searching for her lost sunglasses, only to find them on top of her head, you can call her an airhead. While the most popular meaning of airhead is "scatterbrain" or "dingbat," the formal definition of this noun is quite different. Airhead is a military term for a base inside hostile territory where supplies and troops can be kept, and from where soldiers can more safely fly in and out of the area. This 1950s-era meaning comes from the form of the military term beachhead — the slang term is from the 1970s.

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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.

And in the second act, he has a crucial existential colloquy with Marianne, Rachel Bay Jones’ wealthy airhead, who reveals a surprising amount of depth in a philosophical back and forth with her uncertain confessor.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2023

Cameron, playing an airhead named Barbie, trots out all the familiar jokes that you’re already sick of – “Coronavirus? Why is everyone drinking beer?”

From The Guardian • Apr. 13, 2020

Soon Ryan Lochte will disappear back into his airhead oblivion.

From Salon • Aug. 22, 2016

More than once, the way Wilson spoke reminded me of the airhead fashion model Ben Stiller plays in “Zoolander.”

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2015

I was kind of hoping Edie would be an airhead.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

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.