📒 the mixture of gases that surrounds the earth and that we breathe
- Let's go out for some fresh air.
- a blast of hot air
- currents of warm air
📒 the space above the ground or that is around things
- Music filled the night air.
- in/into the air Wave your hands in the air!
- I kicked the ball high into the air.
📒 the space above the earth where planes fly
- The temple was clearly visible from the air.
- We watched as the helicopter took to the air.
- by air It only takes three hours by air (= in a plane).
📒 the particular feeling or impression that is given by somebody/something; the way somebody does something
- She looked at him with a defiant air.
- air of something The room had an air of luxury.
- There was an air of complete confidence about her.
📒 a tune
📒 a way of behaving that shows that somebody thinks that they are more important, etc. than they really are
- I hate the way she puts on airs.
📒 a way of behaving that shows that somebody thinks that they are more important, etc. than they really are
- Even when he became a star he didn’t have any airs and graces.
📒 clean air breathed in after being indoors or in a dirty atmosphere
- We'll get a breath of fresh air at lunchtime.
- I'm going outside for a breath of fresh air.
📒 (to have) plans or dreams that are not likely to happen or come true
- As a child he would wander round the boatyards, building castles in the air about owning a boat one day.
📒 to improve a difficult or tense situation by talking about worries, doubts, etc.
- This meeting will be an opportunity to clear the air and start the healing process.
📒 to make the air less dirty or less humid (= warm and wet)
- Storms were supposed to clear the air.
📒 to disappear suddenly in a mysterious way
- She can’t just have vanished into thin air.
- At a stroke she could make things vanish into thin air.
📒 used to refer to an estimate or method of doing something that is not very accurate or scientific and partly based on guessing
- It isn’t an exact science—it’s a kind of finger in the air thing.
- ‘It’s all a bit finger in the air,’ admitted a spokesman.
📒 to feel very happy
- Most couples feel they are walking on air on their wedding day.
📒 felt by a number of people to exist or to be happening
- There's romance in the air.
📒 broadcasting or not broadcasting on television or radio
- We will be back on air tomorrow morning at 7.
- The programme was taken off the air over the summer.
📒 from nowhere or nothing, as if by magic
- Unfortunately, I can’t just conjure up the money out of thin air!
📒 to say a name, number, etc. without thinking about it, especially in answer to a question
- I just plucked a figure out of the air and said : ‘Would £1 000 seem reasonable to you?’
📒 not yet decided
- Our travel plans are still up in the air.
📒 in a way that is not friendly and suggests that you think that you are better than other people
- She walked in with her nose in the air, ignoring everyone.