airway

American  

[air-way] / 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

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Etymology

Origin of airway

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

airway airways

Gray himself was initially not breathing but an ambulance crew, who were passing the crash scene by chance, opened his airway, saving his life.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

We call it tripoding, which is particular to upper respiratory infections and airway swelling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

This helps lower the likelihood that the upper airway will collapse during sleep, which is the main cause of obstructive sleep apnea.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026

Dr. Musoke tilted the patient’s head back to open the airway so that he could insert the laryngoscope.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Standard procedure mandates that anyone suspected of smoke inhalation receives a bronchoscopic examination of their airways.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Once the airways are scarred up, there is no going back,” says Lee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Breathing air with high levels of NO2 can irritate airways, cause coughing, wheezing or make it difficult to breathe and worsen diseases like asthma.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

“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

He made a gurgling sound—secretions clogging his airways.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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