airway

American  

[air-wey] / ˈɛərˌweɪ /

noun

airways plural

1. an air route equipped with emergency landing fields, beacon lights, radio beams, etc.

2. a passageway by which air passes from the nose or mouth to the air sacs of the lungs.

3. Medicine/Medical. a tubelike device used to maintain adequate, unobstructed respiration, as during general anesthesia.

4. any passage in a mine used for purposes of ventilation; an air course.

5. airways,

   1. the band of frequencies, taken collectively, used by radio broadcasting stations.

      The news was sent out over the airways immediately.

   2. airwaves.

   3. airline.

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airway British  

/ ˈɛəˌweɪ /

noun

1. an air route, esp one that is fully equipped with emergency landing fields, navigational aids, etc

2. a passage for ventilation, esp in a mine

3. a passage down which air travels from the nose or mouth to the lungs

4. med a tubelike device inserted via the throat to keep open the airway of an unconscious patient

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• airways
  plural

Etymology

Origin of airway

First recorded in 1905–10; air ¹ + way ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

airway airways

A lead then goes up to the nerve that pushes the tongue forward so that every time they breathe, the airway is opened by the tongue leaning forward.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

PDE3/4 inhibitors block specific enzymes to relax airway muscles and suppress inflammation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

These receptors were found throughout the udder tissue of cattle but were nearly absent in airway tissue.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

He is now losing power in his arms and is due to have a tracheostomy - an artificial airway - fitted in his throat this month to help his breathing.

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026

I tilted Stef’s head back to open her airway.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

“Due to the unique anatomy of their airways, bulldogs can experience more respiratory distress in their golden years and may also have a harder time regulating their temperature as a result,” Greenstein says.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026

The frustratingly unforgettable Kars4kids jingle, which has been worming its way into listeners’ brains for decades, is officially banned from the airways in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Desperate to save them, records show, doctors inserted tubes into their airways and hooked them up to IVs.

From Salon ● May 7, 2026

That kind of dust is known to irritate the airways making it easier for bacteria to go from harmlessly sitting there to invading the body.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

I sit, staring out the window and coughing up more and more mucus as the vest does its job to clear my airways.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott