open air

¹

noun

1. the outdoors.

open-air

²

[oh-puhn-air]

adjective

1. existing in, taking place in, or characteristic of the open air; outdoor.

   The orchestra gave three open-air concerts last summer.

open air

noun

1. 1. the place or space where the air is unenclosed; the outdoors

   2. ( as modifier )

      an open-air concert

Other Word Forms

• open-airish adjective
• open-airishness noun
• open-airness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of open air¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Origin of open air²

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

The sole stairway itself must either be pressurized to keep out the smoke or open air.

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We were worried he rematerialized inside a tree or something, and now we know it was probably open air.

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Arizona’s Coalition of Black Students and Allies praised Hamas’s Oct. 7’s “breach” of an “open air prison” as a “powerful emblem of Palestinian resistance.”

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The team identified two distinct kinds of amber: one formed underground near the roots of resin-producing plants, and another that developed in the open air.

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She liked working in the open air, though it was hard work.

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