airtime

noun

air·​time ˈer-ˌtīm 

1

: the time or any part of the time when a radio or television station is on the air

2

: the time at which a radio or television broadcast is scheduled to begin

Examples of airtime in a Sentence

The committee plans to buy radio airtime for the campaign ads.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Academy has also stated that the decision came in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires (which claimed Warren's Malibu home) and that instead, the broadcast will use that airtime to focus on honoring those who fought the fires. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2025

Alcohol giants are pouring resources into juicing this trend, including by investing in the most expensive TV advertising airtime all year. —Christine Romans, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2025

The show also provided small local L.A. businesses impacted by the fires with free commercial airtime, including a florist called Orla Floral Studio (joined by a cameo from Doja Cat), based in Altadena, and Rhythms of the Village, also in Altadena, which Anderson .Paak visited. —Evan Nicole Brown, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025

Late night comedy shows gave significant airtime to ridiculing the anecdote. —David Faris, Newsweek, 2 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for airtime

• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime
• noontime