air lock

noun

1
: an intermediate chamber with two airtight doors or openings to permit passage between two dissimilar spaces (such as two places of unequal atmospheric pressure)
2
: a stoppage of flow caused by air being in a part where liquid ought to circulate

Examples of air lock in a Sentence

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.
The space station has special air locks where astronauts can undergo a rapid pre-breathing process before beginning their spacewalks. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024 Almost six hours after their experiment had begun, McCandless and Stewart clambered back inside the spacecraft, sealed the door of the air lock behind them and removed their helmets. Adam Higginbotham, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2024 Gabi had told me that stowaways must be sent out the air lock. Neima Jahromi, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 Hidden in the corner behind a zip-up air lock was Padilla-Brown’s lab. Doug Bierend, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2021 See All Example Sentences for air lock

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of air lock was in 1840

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Cite this Entry

“Air lock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20lock. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

air lock

noun
: an air space with two airtight doors that permits movement between two spaces with different pressures or different temperatures

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