airhead

1 of 2

noun (1)

air·​head ˈer-ˌhed How to pronounce airhead (audio)
Synonyms of airheadnext
: an area in hostile territory secured usually by airborne troops for further use in bringing in troops and matériel by air

airhead

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a mindless or stupid person
airheaded
ˈer-ˌhe-dəd How to pronounce airhead (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of airhead

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Noun (2)

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Examples of airhead in a Sentence

Noun (2) I felt like an airhead when I couldn't remember my new neighbor's name in trying to introduce him
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Stereotypes about airheads in athleisure and ambitions of fame and fortune are each a form of fantasy. — Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2025 Below are the best museums in Los Angeles, to prove this is not city of airheads. — Maxwell Williams, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026 Tom Hulce is daffy and delicious as the airhead prodigy Mozart, but few of us can identify with that kind of genius. — Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 Elle is a bright pink fish out of water, overlooked and made fun of by her intellectual peers in flannel shirts and dark sweaters, who see her as a ditzy airhead beneath them. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for airhead

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

air entry 1 + -head (as in beachhead)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1943, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of airhead was circa 1943

Rhymes for airhead

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Browse Nearby Words

air-hardening steel
airhead
air hockey
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Cite this Entry

“Airhead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airhead. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on airhead

Nglish: Translation of airhead for Spanish Speakers

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