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
Grinding may tighten your airway muscles and limit jaw movement, helping keep your tongue from blocking your airway.
—
Brandon Peters, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2025
Small pieces of metal can obstruct airways, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
One of the officers, identified as Nichols, started chest compressions on the girl while the other attempted to clear her airways.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Combining rhinoplasty Turkey with hair extraction on the same day is rarely ideal; airway management and positioning differ.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airway
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Brandon Peters, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2025
Small pieces of metal can obstruct airways, especially in vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
One of the officers, identified as Nichols, started chest compressions on the girl while the other attempted to clear her airways.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Combining rhinoplasty Turkey with hair extraction on the same day is rarely ideal; airway management and positioning differ.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for airway
Cite this Entry
“Airway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airway. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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
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