airs

British  

/ ɛəz /

plural noun

1. affected manners intended to impress others (esp in the phrases give oneself airs, put on airs )

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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."

Example Sentences

The Repair Shop airs on 8 April at 20:00 BST on BBC1.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Photographers and video crews were stationed outside the street level studio in Rockefeller Plaza where the program airs live each weekday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Portrayed in youth by Grady Wilson, he grows up middle class in New Jersey as his mother resolves to raise him with the airs and graces of the gentry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Just days before Netflix airs a serialised adaptation of the novel, hundreds of curious visitors have come to the museum, squeezing past one another on the narrow wooden stairs up to Basmaci's attic room.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

An eagle owl called as it floated along the upper airs.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer