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
Iran responded by sending planeloads of food and allowing Qatar airways to fly over its land.
—
Allen Fromherz / Made By History, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
Most people have either emphysema, which happens when air sacs in the lungs called alveoli don’t function properly, or chronic bronchitis — which happens when inflammation in the airways causes mucus to accumulate in the lungs.
—Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Sep. 2024
Allergies can swell the airways, putting people with asthma at a higher risk of an attack and subsequent hospitalization.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
If the virus infecting the latest case turns out to be H5N1, the fact the patient was hospitalized suggests this germ is evolving to replicate more efficiently in our airways (and coming closer to overcoming the first hurdle).
—Keren Landman, Vox, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for airway 
Allen Fromherz / Made By History, TIME, 30 Sep. 2024
Most people have either emphysema, which happens when air sacs in the lungs called alveoli don’t function properly, or chronic bronchitis — which happens when inflammation in the airways causes mucus to accumulate in the lungs.
—Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Sep. 2024
Allergies can swell the airways, putting people with asthma at a higher risk of an attack and subsequent hospitalization.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
If the virus infecting the latest case turns out to be H5N1, the fact the patient was hospitalized suggests this germ is evolving to replicate more efficiently in our airways (and coming closer to overcoming the first hurdle).
—Keren Landman, Vox, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for airway
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'airway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near airway
Cite this Entry
“Airway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airway. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
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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