- present tense form of air (3rd person singular).
airs
Britishplural noun
Explanation
To have airs is to be condescending or arrogant — in other words, to act like you think you're better than other people. If you put on airs, you'll find it hard to make friends. It's most common to find the word airs in the phrase "to put on airs." This basically means to act snobbish or stuck up. Someone who puts on airs is extremely annoying to everyone around him, clearly pretentious and mannered in his attitude. The phrase has been around since the 1780s, and it comes from the French air, "look, appearance, bearing, or tone."
Vocabulary lists containing airs
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.
It now airs six days a week, with 13-minute episodes following the lives of those living in the fictional farming village of Ambridge.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
This will be corrected by the time the film actually airs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Endemol Shine Australia is behind the show, which airs in Australia on Channel 9.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
The broadcast airs air live beginning at 5 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+, but don’t sleep on the annual pre-show, “The Tony Awards: Act One,” where the first round of Tonys will be presented.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Even though everyone appears to be with friends, it seems like at the same time everyone’s putting on airs.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
