AIR


Meaning of AIR in English

INDEX:

1. the air that we breathe

2. when there is not enough fresh air

3. to let fresh air into a place

4. to fill something with air

5. to let the air out of something

RELATED WORDS

to travel by air : ↑ TRAVEL

see also

↑ BREATHE

↑ HOT

↑ WEATHER

↑ FEEL

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1. the air that we breathe

▷ air /eəʳ/ [uncountable noun]

the air that surrounds us, which we breathe in order to live :

▪ Alex stood shivering in the cold, damp air.

▪ the clean air of the countryside

air pollution

▪ Cars are a major cause of air pollution.

in the air

▪ There was a strong smell of burning in the air.

▷ fresh air /ˌfreʃ ˈeəʳ/ [uncountable noun]

clean air that you get outdoors, considered to be more pleasant and healthy than air that you get inside buildings, in busy cities etc :

▪ Open the window and let’s get some fresh air in here!

▪ I’m just going outside for a breath of fresh air.

▪ Fresh air isn’t necessarily better for you, but it will certainly make you feel better.

2. when there is not enough fresh air

▷ stuffy /ˈstʌfi/ [adjective]

a room or building that is stuffy does not have enough fresh air, often because it is small or there are too many people in it :

▪ The hotel room was hot and stuffy, and I woke up with a terrible headache.

▪ It’s getting stuffy in here -- shall I open the window?

▪ I wish I could escape from this stuffy little office.

▷ airless /ˈeəʳləs/ [adjective]

a room or building that is airless feels like it does not have enough air in it for you to breathe properly :

▪ The classroom was airless and uncomfortably hot.

▪ Hales lived in a tiny, airless room with one small window that wouldn’t open.

▷ stifling /ˈstaɪflɪŋ/ [adjective]

very hot and uncomfortable, and without enough air for you to breathe properly :

▪ It was stifling in there; I was glad to get out.

▪ The heat in the narrow packed streets was stifling.

stifling hot

▪ The room was stifling hot.

3. to let fresh air into a place

▷ air /eəʳ/ [transitive verb] British /air out [transitive phrasal verb] American /ˌeər ˈaʊt/

to let fresh air into a room or building, especially one that has been closed or not used for a while :

▪ She was opening windows and shutters to air the empty rooms.

▪ The bedrooms are aired and cleaned every morning.

air out something/air something out

▪ I opened all the windows, hoping that I could air the place out before the guests came.

▷ ventilated /ˈventɪleɪtəd, ˈventəleɪtədǁ-tl-eɪt-/ [adjective]

well/badly/poorly/adequately etc ventilated

if a room or building is well ventilated, fresh air can come in and bad air, smoke etc can go out. If a room or building is badly ventilated, not enough fresh air can come in and bad air, smoke etc cannot go out :

▪ Workrooms must be adequately ventilated by the circulation of fresh air.

▪ Store the potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated space.

▪ Working in a poorly ventilated area will affect your health.

4. to fill something with air

▷ blow up /ˌbləʊ ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]

to fill something with air or gas, for example a tyre or a balloon :

blow up something/blow something up

▪ Come and help me blow up the balloons.

▪ This tyre’s really flat - could you blow it up for me?

▷ inflate /ɪnˈfleɪt/ [intransitive/transitive verb] formal

if you inflate something such as a tyre or balloon or it inflates, you fill it with air :

▪ Tyres should always be inflated to the correct pressure.

▪ You can inflate the mattress in 30 seconds, using a foot pump.

▪ Her life jacket failed to inflate.

▷ pump up /ˌpʌmp ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]

to fill something with air using a pump (=a machine that forces air into something) :

pump up something/pump something up

▪ Your back tire was a little flat so I pumped it up.

5. to let the air out of something

▷ let the air out of /ˌlet ði ˈeər aʊt əv/ [verb phrase] British

to let the air come out of something, for example a tyre or a balloon :

▪ Lisa let the air out of the balloon.

▷ let down /ˌlet ˈdɑʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]

to deliberately let the air come out of something, especially a tyre :

let something down

▪ Someone let the tires down on my bike!

▪ The boys let his tyres down while he was in the headteacher’s office.

▷ deflate /ˌdiːfleɪt, dɪ-/ [intransitive/transitive verb]

if something filled with air deflates, the air comes out of it; if you deflate something, you let the air out of it :

▪ The balloon gradually lost altitude as we deflated it and came in to land.

▪ He woke up aching all over - somehow his airbed had deflated in the night and there was nothing to cushion him from the cold ground.

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