Meanings
- idiomaticuncountablebroadcastingAn unintended interruption in a broadcast during which nothing is transmitted: a silent period on radio or a silent period with no picture on television.
They fired the production engineer because too many moments of dead air were interrupting the broadcast.
Synonyms: tumbleweed moment
- broadlyidiomaticuncountableA quiet or awkward moment in a conversation where neither individual is speaking.
Today we're going to try sitting with silence a bit. Don't worry about any moments of dead air in the conversation.
- uncountableengineeringAir that is subject to little or no ventilation, thus, little to no air exchange.
1 more example
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.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn unintended interruption in a broadcast during which nothing is transmitted: a silent period on radio or a silent period with no picture on television.
Translations
Hungarian átmeneti adásszünet
- átmeneti adásszünetunintended interruption of a broadcast
Polish głucha cisza
- głucha ciszaunintended interruption of a broadcast
Cite this entry
dead air. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20air
“dead air.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20air. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead air,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20air.
Source: dead air on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.