Jump To:

• open air
  open air

  noun

  the outdoors.
• open-air
  open-air

  adjective

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

open air

¹ American  

noun

1. the outdoors.

---

open-air ² American  

[oh-puhn-air] / ˈoʊ pənˈɛər /

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 British  

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

Etymology

Origin of open air¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Origin of open-air²

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open air open-air

In the open air of the Raiffeisen Arena, with bedlam all around, there was nowhere to hide for Celtic or Martin O'Neill.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Unlike in 1986, when many of the artifacts, especially the elephant tusks, decomposed after being exposed to the open air, Ran improvised a new system for the dig.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

It was not as though the open air of a farmers market was going to cure my base shopping instincts.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

The dump, which is partly open air, attracts large numbers of scavenger birds.

From Barron's ● May 12, 2026

I found myself stealing away from the temple, relieved to be out in the open air.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

Washburn estimated that he currently spends roughly half his time touring, typically performing for between 2,000 and 5,000 fans, in order to fund his open-air exploits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Each fall, ArtPrize — one of the world’s largest international art competitions — transforms the entire downtown into an open-air gallery.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

He will also meet people with disabilities and sick members of the faith at Rimini's cathedral before presiding over an open-air mass at the city's port in early evening.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Witnesses described hearing what they said sounded like an explosion at the open-air artisanal gold mine on Wednesday afternoon, moments before the workers below were trapped.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

When he was about five, he had gone with his father to an open-air swimming pool.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill