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• 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.

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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.

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open air British  

noun

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

   2. ( as modifier )

      an open-air concert

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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

Vienna's heurigers range from a few tables set up in the open air to grander affairs resembling restaurants.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

It warned that removing the waste could expose any slow-burning deep-seated fires to open air, risking greater combustion.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026

Anna, meanwhile, devotes herself to earth art, turning machine-lasered iron cutouts laid on white sheets in the open air into large-scale, rust-patterned pieces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

A quarter—12 of 49—were confirmed to be autos with open air bag recalls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025

The wasp keeps flying at the glass over and over and over, like it doesn’t know the difference between glass and open air.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

The sky above the open-air stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., was noticeably clearer Friday and could improve even more with the heavy rains forecast for Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

By 2030, only about a third of the league’s venues will be open-air, down from half today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The sight of his three brothers at the open-air Grand Musalla mosque compound, where their father lay in state made his absence all the more conspicuous.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Kennedy ended up liking the look more than the open-air setup they had planned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

The kid sister tagged along, and Nately felt like the proud head of a family as the three of them ate respectably in a nearby open-air cafe.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller