oxygen mask

American  

noun

oxygen masks plural

1. a masklike device placed or worn over the nose and mouth when inhaling supplementary oxygen from an attached tank.

---

oxygen mask British  

noun

1. a device, worn over the nose and mouth, to which oxygen is supplied from a cylinder or other source: used to aid breathing

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• oxygen masks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oxygen mask

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Reminding us of the messy yet necessary work of grassroots activism, the play administered the equivalent of a political oxygen mask.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

I don’t like to spout clichés, but you do have to put your own oxygen mask on first in this situation.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

Starting to feel confused and worried he might pass out, Tellman reached for his oxygen mask.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

TV images showed Katoa being fitted with an oxygen mask and put on a stretcher.

From Barron's • Nov. 3, 2025

“His oxygen mask was off and his face was encrusted in snow. He asked, ‘Which way to the tents?’

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer