Phrase guide

dead air

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An unintended interruption in a broadcast during which nothing is transmitted: a silent period on radio or a silent period with no picture on television.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, uncountable

Topics: broadcasting, media

Examples

  • They fired the production engineer because too many moments of dead air were interrupting the broadcast.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tumbleweed moment

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A quiet or awkward moment in a conversation where neither individual is speaking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, idiomatic, uncountable

Examples

  • Today we're going to try sitting with silence a bit. Don't worry about any moments of dead air in the conversation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Air that is subject to little or no ventilation, thus, little to no air exchange.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: engineering, mechanical, mechanical-engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • Sealing up the house so perfectly, without planning for any active ventilation to replace the passive ventilation that you have eliminated, is not a good idea, because it encourages pockets of dead air. If you're going to seal it up so tight, then you need to plan for active ventilation through a filter, rather than no ventilation at all.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pause, intermission, break, interruption, suspension

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Hungarian: átmeneti adásszünet — unintended interruption of a broadcast