air

[ air ]

/ ɛər /

noun

a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and minute amounts of other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere.

a stir in the atmosphere; a light breeze.

overhead space; sky: The planes filled the air.

circulation; publication; publicity: to give air to one's theories.

the general character or complexion of anything; appearance: His early work had an air of freshness and originality.

the peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person: There is an air of mystery about him.

airs, affected or unnatural manner; manifestation of pride or vanity; assumed haughtiness: He acquired airs that were insufferable to his friends.

Music.

a tune; melody.
the soprano or treble part.
an aria.
Also ayre. an Elizabethan art song.

aircraft as a means of transportation: to arrive by air; to ship goods by air.

Informal. air conditioning or an air-conditioning system: The price includes tires, radio, and air.

Sports.

(during an airborne stunt) the height between the ground and an athlete or an athlete with his or her equipment: The BMX course was designed for riders to get good air.
such a jump or other airborne stunt: The snowboarder took first place with four clean airs.

Radio. the medium through which radio waves are transmitted.

Archaic. breath.

verb (used with object)

to expose to the air; give access to the open air; ventilate (often followed by out): We air the bedrooms every day.

to expose ostentatiously; bring to public notice; display: to air one's opinions; to air one's theories.

to broadcast or televise.

verb (used without object)

to be exposed to the open air (often followed by out): Open the window and let the room air out.

to be broadcast or televised.

adjective

operating by means of air pressure or by acting upon air: an air drill; an air pump.

of or relating to aircraft or to aviation: air industry.

taking place in the air; aerial: air war.

Idioms for air

clear the air, to eliminate dissension, ambiguity, or tension from a discussion, situation, etc.: The staff meeting was intended to help clear the air.

get some air,

to take a break from an unpleasant encounter or stifling environment: She walked away from the argument to get some air.
to take a short rest.

get the air, Informal.

to be rejected, as by a lover.
to be dismissed, as by an employer: He had worked only a few days when he got the air.

give (someone) the air, Informal.

to reject, as a lover: He was bitter because she gave him the air.
to dismiss, as an employee.

in the air, in circulation; current: There's a rumor in the air that we're moving to a new location.

into thin air, completely out of sight or reach: He vanished into thin air.

off the air,

not broadcasting: The station goes off the air at midnight.
not broadcast; out of operation as a broadcast: The program went off the air years ago.

on the air, in the act of broadcasting; being broadcast: The program will be going on the air in a few seconds.

put on airs, to assume an affected or haughty manner: As their fortune increased, they began to put on airs.

take the air,

to go out-of-doors; take a short walk or ride.
Slang. to leave, especially hurriedly.
to begin broadcasting.

up in the air,

Also in the air. undecided or unsettled: The contract is still up in the air.
Informal. angry; perturbed: There is no need to get up in the air over a simple mistake.

walk/tread on air, to feel very happy; be elated.

Origin of air

1150–1200; Middle English eir < Old French air < Latin āēr- (accusative āerem) < Greek āer- (stem of āḗr) the lower atmosphere; conflated with (especially for defs 4, 5) French air, Old French aire nature, character < Latin ager field (cf. acre) and ārea threshing floor, clearing, area; and with (for def 7) French air < Italian aria aria

SYNONYMS FOR air

2 See wind¹.

5, 6 impression, aspect.

6 aura, demeanor, attitude. See manner¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM air

air·like, adjective un·aired, adjective well-aired, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH air

air e'er ere err heir er err

Words nearby air

aintree, ainu, aioli, aiora, aip, air, air alert, air arm, air attaché, air bag, air ball

British Dictionary definitions for give someone the air (1 of 3)

AIR

abbreviation for

All India Radio

British Dictionary definitions for give someone the air (2 of 3)

air

/ (ɛə) /

noun

the mixture of gases that forms the earth's atmosphere. At sea level dry air has a density of 1.226 kilograms per cubic metre and consists of 78.08 per cent nitrogen, 20.95 per cent oxygen, 0.93 per cent argon, 0.03 per cent carbon dioxide, with smaller quantities of ozone and inert gases; water vapour varies between 0 and 4 per cent and in industrial areas sulphur gases may be present as pollutants

the space above and around the earth; sky Related adjective: aerial

breeze; slight wind

public expression; utterance to give air to one's complaints

a distinctive quality an air of mystery

a person's distinctive appearance, manner, or bearing

music

a simple tune for either vocal or instrumental performance
another word for aria

transportation in aircraft (esp in the phrase by air)

an archaic word for breath (def. 1), breath (def. 2), breath (def. 3)

Australian informal the height gained when getting airborne in surfing, snowboarding, etc

clear the air to rid a situation of tension or discord by settling misunderstandings, etc

give someone the air slang to reject or dismiss someone

in the air

in circulation; current
in the process of being decided; unsettled

into thin air leaving no trace behind

off the air not in the act of broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or television

on the air in the act of broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or television

out of thin air or from thin air suddenly and unexpectedly

take the air to go out of doors, as for a short walk or ride

up in the air

uncertain
informal agitated or excited

walk on air to feel elated or exhilarated

(modifier) astrology of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius Compare earth (def. 10), fire (def. 24), water (def. 12)

verb

to expose or be exposed to the air so as to cool or freshen; ventilate to air a room

to expose or be exposed to warm or heated air so as to dry to air linen

(tr) to make known publicly; display; publicize to air one's opinions

(intr) (of a television or radio programme) to be broadcast

Word Origin for air

C13: via Old French and Latin from Greek aēr the lower atmosphere

British Dictionary definitions for give someone the air (3 of 3)

Aïr

/ (ˈɑːɪə) /

noun

a mountainous region of N central Niger, in the Sahara, rising to 1500 m (5000 ft): a former native kingdom. Area: about 77 700 sq km (30 000 sq miles) Also called: Azbine, Asben

Medical definitions for give someone the air

air

[ âr ]

n.

A colorless, odorless, tasteless, gaseous mixture, approximately 78 percent nitrogen and approximately 21 percent oxygen with lesser amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, neon, helium, and other gases.

This mixture, with varying amounts of moisture and particulate matter, enveloping Earth; the atmosphere.

Any of various respiratory gases. No longer in technical use.

Scientific definitions for give someone the air

air

[ âr ]

The colorless, odorless, tasteless mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth. Air consists of about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, with the remaining part made up mainly of argon, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, and krypton in decreasing order of volume. Air also contains varying amounts of water vapor, particulate matter such as dust and soot, and chemical pollutants.

Idioms and Phrases with give someone the air (1 of 2)

give someone the air

Also, give someone the brush off or the gate or the old heave-ho. Break off relations with someone, oust someone, snub or jilt someone, especially a lover. For example, John was really upset when Mary gave him the air, or His old friends gave him the brush off, or Mary cried and cried when he gave her the gate, or The company gave him the old heave-ho after only a month. In the first expression, which dates from about 1920, giving air presumably alludes to being blown out. The second, from the first half of the 1900s, alludes to brushing away dust or lint. The third, from about 1900, uses gate in the sense of “an exit.” The fourth alludes to the act of heaving a person out, and is sometimes used to mean “to fire someone from a job” (see get the ax). All these are colloquialisms, and all have variations using get, get the air (etc.), meaning “to be snubbed or told to leave,” as in After he got the brush off, he didn't know what to do.

Idioms and Phrases with give someone the air (2 of 2)

air

In addition to the idiom beginning with air

air one's grievances

also see:

breath of fresh air
castles in the air
clear the air
give someone the air
hot air
in the air
into (out of) thin air
nose in the air
off the air
put on airs
up in the air
walk on air
wash (air) one's dirty linen

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