Phrase guide

out of thin air

adv · 2 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

adv

Meaning 1

From nowhere or nothing; from a non-existent or unknown source.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable

Examples

  • They don't seem to want to work to earn a living. They think they can make money out of thin air.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

without warning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • your cousin arrived out of thin air

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: out of nothing, from nowhere

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese: 無中生有 /无中生有 (wúzhōng-shēngyǒu) — from non-existent resource
  • Danish: ud af den blå luft — from non-existent resource
  • Finnish: tyhjästä — from non-existent resource
  • French: de nulle part — from non-existent resource
  • German: aus dem Nichts — from non-existent resource
  • Italian: fuori dal cilindro — from non-existent resource
  • Italian: dal nulla — from non-existent resource
  • Polish: z sufitu — from non-existent resource
  • Portuguese: do nada — from non-existent resource
  • Russian: из воздуха (iz vozduxa) — from non-existent resource
  • Spanish: de la nada — from non-existent resource
  • Turkish: yoktan — from non-existent resource