airtight
Americanadjective
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preventing the entrance or escape of air or gas.
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having no weak points or openings of which an opponent may take advantage.
an airtight contract.
adjective
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not permitting the passage of air either in or out
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having no weak points; rigid or unassailable
this categorization is hardly airtight
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of airtight
Explanation
If something's airtight, it is completely sealed so that no air can get in or out of it. When you make homemade jam with the raspberries you picked, it's important to make sure the lids are airtight so the jam won't spoil. Many kinds of food and medicine you buy in a store are airtight. The airtight seal on a package, bag, or can assures you that the contents are safe from any germs that might get in and contaminate them. You can also use this adjective to mean "certain" or "indisputable," like an airtight alibi that can't be argued with, or an airtight plan that's guaranteed to work.
Vocabulary lists containing airtight
Everything, Everything
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"My Brother's Keeper" and "What Price Loyalty?"
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Z for Zachariah
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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.
He delivered an airtight opening argument that was stunning for how much stronger it was than opposing coach Ime Udoka’s.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
His reasoning is pretty airtight: The Virginia Constitution says exactly when the “general election” was held for legal purposes, and it was Nov. 4, 2025.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026
The union demanded “absolute airtight language that there would be no automation or semiautomation” in the new contract.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Andrew Crawford, of US non-profit the Center for Democracy and Technology, said it was "crucial" to maintain "airtight" safeguards around users' health information.
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026
Mama and Baba lay within their airtight sterile chambers, buried under tubes and cables and lit only by the wall of monitors.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
