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 Photos: Glen Benson/NASA Each side of the umbilical contains a set of doors that acts sort of like an air lock, to keep out the dust. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2018 The node would be attached to that section and would allow additional visiting vehicles to dock to the station—and have an air lock that the astronauts would use to enter and exit for work outside the station. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2023 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

Dictionary Entries Near air lock

Cite this Entry

“Air lock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20lock. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

air lock

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

More from Merriam-Webster on air lock

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!