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.
The series finale of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs at 11:35 p.m.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
But for history buffs and musical enthusiasts alike, a sonically richer version filled with sound effects of the musical airs exclusively on Audible today, April 16.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Cipriani said Shell reneged on a purported promise to make “Star Serenade,” an English-language version of a Spanish-language music reality series Cipriani and his wife created that airs on the Roku Channel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
The Repair Shop airs on 8 April at 20:00 BST on BBC1.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
“So besides tempting fate with melted cheese and literary airs of pretension, what else is in your risk-taking repertoire?”
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
