airshow

IPA/ˈeə.ʃəʊ/
IPA/ˈer.ʃoʊ/

airshow — noun

  • airshowsingular
  • airshowsplural

1. an event where pilots fly planes, helicopters, and other aircraft in front of a

1.nounB2
Definition

an event where pilots fly planes, helicopters, and other aircraft in front of a crowd to demonstrate their flying skills, sometimes held at a military base that is opened to the public for the day.

Example

Dewi took her two children to the Singapore airshow to watch the fighter jets.

collocation: take someone to an airshow

The Royal Air Force will hold an airshow at the base near Cambridge next Saturday.

pattern: hold an airshow at [place]

Common collocations
  • annual airshow
  • international airshow
  • hold an airshow
  • stage an airshow
  • attend an airshow
  • at an airshow
Synonyms
  • air display

    British, more formal; often used in news writing

  • flying display

    emphasises the in-flight performance rather than the whole public event

  • aerobatic show

    narrower — only covers stunt flying, not static aircraft on the ground

Grammar Patterns

at an airshow

hold/stage an airshow

Usage Note

Subject of 'hold' or 'stage' is usually an air force, an airfield, or an event company; the venue is typically named with 'at' (at Farnborough, at the base).

Common Mistakes

I went to see an airplane show in Taipei.
I went to see an airshow in Taipei.
native speakers say 'airshow' as one word, not 'airplane show'.
The airshow performed many tricks.
The pilots at the airshow performed many tricks.
the airshow is the event, not the performer; the pilots or planes do the action.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

An 'airshow' is the broadest term: a public event that combines flying demonstrations with parked aircraft visitors can climb into, food stalls, and commentary, often lasting a whole weekend. 'Air display' is the British and slightly more formal equivalent, common in news reports and official RAF announcements. 'Flypast' is much narrower — a single ceremonial flight of aircraft over a specific spot, such as a parade or a royal birthday, with no separate ticketed event around it. 'Aerobatic show' zooms in on the stunt-flying portion only — loops, rolls, and synchronised team flying — and would not normally include the static aircraft sitting on the ground. So you would buy a ticket to an airshow, watch the aerobatic show inside it, and see a flypast at a national parade.

airshow ↗air displayflypast ↗aerobatic show

Common collocations

Nouns

  • airshow season
  • airshow display
  • airshow ticket
  • airshow organiser

Phrases

  • hold an airshow
  • stage an airshow
  • attend an airshow
  • the annual airshow

Prepositions

  • at an airshow
  • during the airshow

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

A modern English compound formed from 'air' (the sky, or flight through it) plus 'show' (a public display). The word came into regular use in the early twentieth century, after the Wright brothers' first flights in 1903 made public flying demonstrations a popular form of entertainment. It is sometimes written as two words ('air show') and sometimes hyphenated, but the closed one-word form has become the most common spelling in current British and American writing.