Meaning & use
fresh air
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Meanings
noununcountable
Air that is clean and cool, especially outdoors, rather than air that is stale or inside a building.
Grammar: Uncountable; use with 'some' or no article: We need fresh air. Not 'a fresh air'.
Patterns
- get some fresh air
- need fresh air
- breathe fresh air
- fresh air and exercise
After sitting in the office all day, I went outside to get some fresh air.
The doctor said she should get more fresh air and exercise.
Open the window and let some fresh air in.
noununcountablefigurative
A change of scene or a break from a difficult situation, often used figuratively.
Grammar: Used in the phrase 'a breath of fresh air' to mean something refreshing and new.
Patterns
- a breath of fresh air
- like a breath of fresh air
Her new ideas were a breath of fresh air for the team.
After the boring meeting, his joke was a breath of fresh air.
Common combinations
- get some fresh air
- Let's go for a walk and get some fresh air.
- a breath of fresh air
- The new teacher is a breath of fresh air.
- fresh air and exercise
- Fresh air and exercise are good for your health.
- need fresh air
- I feel dizzy; I need some fresh air.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outdoor air
- Outdoor air simply means air outside, but it may not be clean; fresh air emphasizes cleanliness and coolness.
Opposites
Commonly confused: fresh air or freshwater?
fresh air vs freshwater
Freshwater means water without salt, not air. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fresh air' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Fresh air is uncountable, so you say 'some fresh air' or just 'fresh air'. 'A fresh air' and 'fresh airs' are wrong because you cannot count it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fresh air”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.