airs

British  

/ ɛəz /

plural noun

1. affected manners intended to impress others (esp in the phrases give oneself airs, put on airs )

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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."

Example Sentences

The series finale of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs at 11:35 p.m.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

These tentpole events are in addition to some of the weekly live programming Netflix offers, including “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” which airs every Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Now six months later, they are reliving the experience as each episode airs.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 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

It let her feel like she was distancing herself from her mother, who Terryl always felt put on airs that everything was okay.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel