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midair

American

[mid-air] / mɪdˈɛər /

noun

any point in the air not contiguous with the earth or other solid surface.

to catch a ball in midair.

midair British

/ ˌmɪdˈɛə /

noun

1. some point above ground level, in the air
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a midair collision of aircraft

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

midair Idioms

see under leave hanging.

Etymology

Origin of midair

First recorded in 1660–70; mid- + air ¹

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.

See Examples For:

midair

Boeing did not make it past the probationary period when in January 2024, the rear door on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane blew off midair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Accident investigators had pointed to a similar omission in the lead-up to a deadly midair collision at Reagan National last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The plane can be modified to refuel midair, or withstand a nuclear blast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

"It can hover like a helicopter, fly forwards like an aircraft, but equally brake in midair or fly backwards," marketing chief Andrea Marchsteiner told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

The creature lifted a hand, and the rock froze in midair.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023