air horn
1
3.0
- noun
- /ɛr hɔrn/
:
claxon de aire
- A sixteen-wheeler blew its air horn as it rumbled out of the lot, heading for parts unknown.
- air horn blast
Examples
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C Someone on a hoverboard tries to blow an air horn in the man's ear but falls on his butt.
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Now, when he tries to speak, protesters often surround him, blowing air horns or screaming to make sure others cannot hear him.
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They, they just give you a little air horn, you know, you get scared.
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We need a DJ air horn on that one, Zach.
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An air horn blows, and suddenly the skyline is moving.
Fiction book (1991) -
Hits his air horn.
Fiction book (1991) -
So this round, every time the air horn goes off, each player must freeze in place and meow like a cat three times before they can resume moving.
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Terminator grabs onto the air horn as the truck starts to shudder and scream.
Fiction book (1991) -
LouAnn was sitting sideways in her seat, and she had her hand on the air-horn pull, and she was looking right at Two-Speed, who wasn't looking at her, and she was... well, I don't know.
Fiction book (1998) -
The truck driver used the air horn to alert pedestrians as he made the turn.
Synonyms
183
1.0
A device that makes a loud sound to warn or signal people
6
1.1
A loud sound a driver makes to warn others or get attention
3
8.5
A loud electric horn used as a warning, often on vehicles
1
2.1
A device on a car that makes a loud sound to warn people
A part on a vehicle that makes a loud sound to warn people
Antonyms
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: a 'horn' (a loud signaling device) that uses 'air', so a learner who knows both words can infer a horn powered by compressed air. This noun‑noun compound follows a common, cross‑linguistic pattern and is therefore immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Air horn comes from the simple idea of a horn that uses air to make a loud sound. So the name means 'a loud horn that pushes air', used on trucks and ships to signal people.