to get some air
40
2.5
- phrasal verb
:
salir a tomar el aire
- After being stuck in the crowded room for hours, I decided to get some air outside.
- go get some air
- get some air outside
- just get some air
Examples
-
Let's get some air.
-
I'm going to get some air.
-
Wanna get out of here and get some air?
-
I had to get some air.
-
I need to get some air.
-
Can I get some air?
-
The sun is still shining, and she'd like to get some air before heading back to her office.
Fiction book (1999) -
It's too stuffy, let's go get some air.
-
Betsy pushed away from the throng to get some air.
Fiction book (1994) -
One night, the drummer says he's going out to get some air and doesn't come home for hours.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
25
2.6
To take a short break to rest
14
3.5
To stop and rest for a short time
2
3.5
To go outside for a short walk and fresh air
2
3.6
Want a short rest to catch your breath
1
2.3
To go outside briefly to breathe and feel better
Antonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to go outside to breathe fresh air' is directly compositional from 'get' (obtain/go and colloquially 'go and get'), 'some' (an unspecified amount), and 'air' (atmosphere/breeze); together they naturally yield the idea of going to obtain/breathe air. This construction is also common cross-linguistically (e.g. French 'prendre l'air', Spanish 'tomar aire'), so a B1 learner who knows the parts will very likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Get some air comes from the simple image of someone leaving a small, stuffy room to step outside and get a breath of fresh air. So, the phrase now means 'to go outside' to 'breathe in fresh air' and feel better.