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air
3 dictionary results for: put on airs
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
air1       [air] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and minute amounts of other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere.
2.a stir in the atmosphere; a light breeze.
3.overhead space; sky: The planes filled the air.
4.circulation; publication; publicity: to give air to one's theories.
5.the general character or complexion of anything; appearance: His early work had an air of freshness and originality.
6.the peculiar look, appearance, and bearing of a person: There is an air of mystery about him.
7.airs, affected or unnatural manner; manifestation of pride or vanity; assumed haughtiness: He acquired airs that were insufferable to his friends.
8.Music.
a.a tune; melody.
b.the soprano or treble part.
c.an aria.
d.Also, ayre. an Elizabethan art song.
9.aircraft as a means of transportation: to arrive by air; to ship goods by air.
10.Informal. air conditioning or an air-conditioning system: The price includes tires, radio, and air.
11.Radio. the medium through which radio waves are transmitted.
12.Archaic. breath.
–verb (used with object)
13.to expose to the air; give access to the open air; ventilate (often fol. by out): We air the bedrooms every day.
14.to expose ostentatiously; bring to public notice; display: to air one's opinions; to air one's theories.
15.to broadcast or televise.
–verb (used without object)
16.to be exposed to the open air (often fol. by out): Open the window and let the room air out.
17.to be broadcast or televised.
–adjective
18.operating by means of air pressure or by acting upon air: an air drill; an air pump.
19.of or pertaining to aircraft or to aviation: air industry.
20.taking place in the air; aerial: air war.
—Idioms
21.clear the air, to eliminate dissension, ambiguity, or tension from a discussion, situation, etc.: The staff meeting was intended to help clear the air.
22.get the air, Informal.
a.to be rejected, as by a lover.
b.to be dismissed, as by an employer: He had worked only a few days when he got the air.
23.give (someone) the air, Informal.
a.to reject, as a lover: He was bitter because she gave him the air.
b.to dismiss, as an employee.
24.in the air, in circulation; current: There's a rumor in the air that we're moving to a new location.
25.into thin air, completely out of sight or reach: He vanished into thin air.
26.off the air,
a.not broadcasting: The station goes off the air at midnight.
b.not broadcast; out of operation as a broadcast: The program went off the air years ago.
c.(of a computer) not in operation.
27.on the air,
a.in the act of broadcasting; being broadcast: The program will be going on the air in a few seconds.
b.(of a computer) in operation.
28.put on airs, to assume an affected or haughty manner: As their fortune increased, they began to put on airs.
29.take the air,
a.to go out-of-doors; take a short walk or ride.
b.Slang. to leave, esp. hurriedly.
c.to begin broadcasting.
30.up in the air,
a.Also, in the air. undecided or unsettled: The contract is still up in the air.
b.Informal. angry; perturbed: There is no need to get up in the air over a simple mistake.
31.walk or tread on air, to feel very happy; be elated.
[Origin: 1150–1200; ME eir < OF air < L āér- (acc. āerem) < Gk āer- (s. of ār) the lower atmosphere; conflated with (esp. for defs. 4 and 5) F air, OF aire nature, character < L ager field (cf. acre) and ārea threshing floor, clearing, area; and with (for def. 7) F air < It aria aria]

—Related forms
airlike, adjective

—Synonyms 2. See wind1. 5, 6. impression, aspect. 6. aura, demeanor, attitude. See manner1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
put on airs

verb
act like the master of; "He is lording it over the students" [syn: lord it over] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

put on airs

Assume a haughty manner, pretend to be better than one is, as in I'm sick of Claire and the way she puts on airs. Airs here means "a manner of superiority." [c. 1700]


The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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