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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• oxygen masks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oxygen mask

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oxygen mask

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

“You want to put on your own oxygen mask first,” said Allen Mueller, a financial adviser in the Dallas area.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

You’ve heard the instructions: “Put on your own oxygen mask before putting one on your child.”

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 5, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2025

She was in an oxygen mask, unconscious, and I'd never seen her so pale.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda