midair

[mid-air]

noun

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

   to catch a ball in midair.

midair

/ ˌmɪdˈɛə /

noun

1. 1. some point above ground level, in the air

   2. ( as modifier )

      a midair collision of aircraft

Word History and Origins

Origin of midair¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see under leave hanging.

Example Sentences

The airport, which operates the single busiest runway in the U.S., was the site of a January midair collision between an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people.

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A United Airlines flight bound for Greenland turned around in midair to avoid stranding even more people.

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Regulators, blaming Boeing’s emphasis on production over quality, imposed the production limit after a fuselage panel blew off an Alaska Airlines jet midair in early 2024.

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Air-traffic control operations have faced heightened scrutiny following a deadly midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jet in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

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The flier posted in the neighborhood includes a photo of a squirrel leaping in midair and the words “attack squirrel beware.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times