airway

noun

air·​way ˈer-ˌwā 

1

: a passage for a current of air (as in a mine or to the lungs)

2

: a designated route along which airplanes fly from airport to airport

especially : such a route equipped with navigational aids

3

: airline

4

: a channel of a designated radio frequency for broadcasting or other radio communication

Examples of airway in a Sentence

a patient with a partially blocked airway

Recent Examples on the Web

Wells' family and their lawyers disputed the grand jury's findings, pointing to unexplained bruising on the back of his head and noting that his airways and stomach were devoid of water. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Among the 919 deaths that investigators determined were caused by suffocation involving unsafe sleep factors, 74% involved soft bedding obstructing the airway. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

And here, the state’s own autopsy noted that there was no liquid in Wells’s stomach and airways. — Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

The effects of mold are especially hard on the developing airways of children. — Rebecca Smullin Dawson, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing airway

• bilevel positive airway pressure
• continuous positive airway pressure

Rhymes for airway

• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

airway

noun

air·​way -ˌwā 

1

: a passage for a current of air

especially : one through which air passes to and from the lungs

2

: a regular route for aircraft

especially : one equipped with aids for guiding aircraft

3

: airline

Medical Definition

airway

noun

air·​way -ˌwā 

: a passageway for air into or out of the lungs

specifically : a device passed into the trachea by way of the mouth or nose or through an incision to maintain a clear respiratory passageway (as during anesthesia, convulsions, or in obstructive laryngitis) see upper airway