airhead

¹ American  

[air-hed] / ˈɛərˌhɛd /

noun

1. Slang. a scatterbrained, stupid, or simple-minded person; dolt.

   Even though she's crazy about surfing, she's not the bikini-babe airhead you might think.

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airhead ² American  

[air-hed] / ˈɛərˌhɛd /

noun

1. an area in enemy territory or in threatened friendly territory, seized by airborne troops for bringing in supplies and additional troops by airdrop or landing.

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airhead ¹ British  

/ ˈɛəˌhɛd /

noun

1. military an area secured in hostile territory, used as a base for the supply and evacuation of troops and equipment by air

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airhead ² British  

/ ˈɛəˌhɛd /

noun

1. slang a stupid or simple-minded person; idiot

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Other Word Forms

• airheaded
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of airhead¹

First recorded probably earlier than 1975–80; air ¹ + head

Origin of airhead²

air ¹ + (beach)head

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Explanation

An airhead is a silly, foolish person. If your friend spends fifteen minutes searching for her lost sunglasses, only to find them on top of her head, you can call her an airhead. While the most popular meaning of airhead is "scatterbrain" or "dingbat," the formal definition of this noun is quite different. Airhead is a military term for a base inside hostile territory where supplies and troops can be kept, and from where soldiers can more safely fly in and out of the area. This 1950s-era meaning comes from the form of the military term beachhead — the slang term is from the 1970s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

airhead

But clearly, Mansfield’s public persona as just another Tinseltown airhead is something the other Hargitay siblings have had to contend with, too.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2025

And in the second act, he has a crucial existential colloquy with Marianne, Rachel Bay Jones’ wealthy airhead, who reveals a surprising amount of depth in a philosophical back and forth with her uncertain confessor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2023

I was 17 and a bit of an airhead, so I didn’t appreciate what a remarkable crew we had working on the film.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2019

More than once, the way Wilson spoke reminded me of the airhead fashion model Ben Stiller plays in “Zoolander.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2015

I was kind of hoping Edie would be an airhead.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

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