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Glite Dictionary
air conditioning

air conditioning

110 3.0
System that controls temperature and air movement inside buildings to keep people comfortable
  • noun
  • /ˈɛr ˌkɒndɪˈʃənɪŋ/
translation icon : aire acondicionado
  • The office has powerful air conditioning, which keeps the temperature comfortable even on hot days.
  • air conditioning system
  • air conditioning unit
  • heating and air conditioning

They can't open their windows, they can't run their air conditioning or put their clothing on the lines.

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Examples

  • I think there's something wrong with my air conditioning.

    Cuckoo (2024)

  • If you press and hold that down, it will turn on the air conditioning system in the car.

  • But it does have air conditioning and now we wait.

  • There may not be any windows, but the air conditioning works fine.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • A very nice office with a view and air-conditioning.

    DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)

  • Up until a few years ago, the building didn't even have air conditioning.

    Academic text (2004)

  • I could hear birds out there, and the kitchen was cool with the air-conditioning.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • But I am not complaining because last year we didn't have air conditioning and we had a heat wave and it was terrible.

    Allana Davison

  • Portable classrooms also have air conditioning, which none of the flooded schools had.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The air conditioning broke.

    Jane Austen's Mafia! (1998)

Synonyms

air conditioner
vsair conditioning
61 2.8

A machine that cools and removes water from the air in a room or building

is broader and includes ventilation and balanced temperature control
cooling
vsair conditioning
42 2.7

A machine or system that makes things colder, like an air conditioner

is the more complete system that controls humidity and ventilation too
cooling system
vsair conditioning
  • Specialized
17 3.3

A set of parts that remove heat to keep a machine or building cool

focuses on cooling only while also managing humidity and ventilation
A/C
vsair conditioning
4 3.0

A machine that cools and dries the air in a room or car

is the full system term that also implies ventilation control
air-conditioner
vsair conditioning
2 2.0

A machine that cools and dries the air in a room or building

is a system that also manages ventilation and broader indoor comfort
evaporative cooler
vsair conditioning
  • Specialized
5.3

A machine that uses water to cool air in hot, dry places

is a full system that controls humidity and ventilation across climates

How Comfortable

air conditioning
110 3.0
cooling
60 2.1
ventilation
60 3.6

Surface Forms

air conditioning singular
air conditionings plural

Morphology

air + condition

The meaning 'a system for controlling the temperature, humidity, and ventilation of indoor air' is directly derivable from combining 'air' with 'conditioning' (to render into a desired state): conditioning applied to air naturally yields making the air comfortable. This compositional logic is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'aire acondicionado', French 'climatisation'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Air conditioning comes from the idea of changing the state of indoor air: early machines were said to 'condition' the air by cooling it and removing moisture. So, air conditioning now means a system that cools and makes indoor air comfortable.