n. 1
The substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases.
This drill runs on compressed air.
n. 2
The substance constituting Earth's atmosphere: a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various trace gases. The substance of the atmosphere seen as an agency of freshness.
I'm going outside to get some air.
v. 1
To bring (something) into contact with the air, so as to freshen or dry it.
I'll hang these clothes on the rack to air them.
v. 2
To let fresh air into (a room or a building), to ventilate.
It's getting quite stuffy in this room: let's open the windows and air it.

Related words

Word family: airbill airblast airboat airborne aircab aircar aircraft aircrane
Phrases: hot air air sock air castle air hostess air embolism air lane air ticket air out
Other spellings: ayr

Forms

Plural: airs → melodies, manners, tunes, ways…
Past participle: aired
e.g. aired → broadcasted, beamed, sent, transmitted…

Choose the right word

Air or Appearance?

Air is that combination of qualities which makes the entire impression we receive in a person's presence; as, we say he has the air of a scholar, or the air of a villain. We might say of a travel-soiled pedestrian, he has the appearance of a tramp, but the air of a gentleman.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

atmosphere The atmosphere on Mars is over 95% carbon dioxide.
nimbus Most precipitation comes from nimbus clouds.
gas The reporter covered the gas explosion in Shibuya.
wind Don't be so greedy or you'll wind up with nothing.
aviation Algeria needs to become an important aviation hub.
ether The plane seemed to just disappear into the ether.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
air		steady
atmosphere		falling
nimbus		steady
gas		falling
wind		steady
aviation		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: way¹, gas¹
4 letters: look¹, line¹, song¹, send¹, mine¹, cast¹, wind¹, port¹, lift¹, tune¹, bare¹, beam¹, vent¹, aura²
5 letters: style¹, vapor², guise¹, ether²
6 letters: spirit², manner², aspect², strain¹, expose², breeze¹, melody³, vapour, zephyr², flaunt¹, nimbus², aerate
7 letters: climate², display², conduct², bearing², manners², descant
8 letters: presence², behavior³, aviation⁴, carriage², transmit², demeanor³, telecast³, pretense², pretence
9 letters: behaviour³, broadcast², semblance², publicize³, demeanour³, publicise, ventilate³
10 letters: appearance³, atmosphere³, expression³, deportment³, pneumatics³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (aura² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: air
Italiano: aria
Español: aire
Deutsch: Luft
Català: aire