dead air
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dead air
First recorded in 1940–45
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.
It seeks to deliver a brisk 30-minute recap of the day’s headlines without any halting clauses, dropped prepositions, or dead air.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026
In November 1966, New York’s WPIX-TV had a 90-minute block of dead air that the studio’s president, Fred Thrower, decided to fill with footage of a roaring fire, calling it a Christmas card.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
"Even when there's a few moments of dead air here, people think, 'What's wrong?" laughs Ms Hagen.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025
During the track, Mr. Fuqua offers a subdued but pointed deconstruction of “Training Day” focused on the narrative but with plenty of moments of dead air.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
“We’ll radio for a Patrol to collect the nag. It was in a bad way from the dead air, sir. It might not survive.”
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
