thin air

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A phrase that can mean less dense high-altitude air, or appearing from nowhere and disappearing completely in fixed idioms.
Practice using thin air in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • You cannot create money out of thin air.
  • The witness seemed to vanish into thin air.
  • The thin air above the pass felt cold and dry.
  • Visitors may need time to adjust to the thin air.
  • The solution did not appear out of thin air.

Similar words

evaporate
be gone
low-pressure air
from nowhere
from nothing
rarefied air
without a source
vanish
high-altitude air
from no clear cause

Meanings

High-altitude air

physical
neutral
Air that feels less dense or harder to breathe because of altitude or low pressure.

Usage

Use thin air literally for mountain or high-altitude air. For polluted air, use polluted air, not thin air.

Examples

  • Climbers struggled to breathe in the thin air.
  • The thin air at high altitude made every step harder.
  • The engine performed poorly in the thin air of the mountains.
  • Visitors may need time to adjust to the thin air.
  • The thin air above the pass felt cold and dry.

Common mistakes

Thin air does not mean dirty air. It usually means less dense air, especially at altitude.
IncorrectCorrect
Thin air means dirty air. Thin air means air with lower pressure or less oxygen, especially at altitude.
The mountain had thin airs. The mountain had thin air.
I breathed a thin air. I breathed thin air.
Thin air at sea level always helps breathing. Thin air at high altitude can make breathing harder.

Similar words

rarefied air
low-pressure air
high-altitude air
air with less oxygen

From no clear source

everyday
neutral
Used in the phrase out of thin air to mean from no clear source, evidence, preparation, or material.

Usage

Use out of thin air for something that seems invented, produced, or appearing with no visible basis. The preposition out of is an important part of the idiom.

Examples

  • The rumor seemed to come out of thin air.
  • You cannot create money out of thin air.
  • The solution did not appear out of thin air.
  • He invented the excuse out of thin air.
  • The idea sounded as if it had come out of thin air.

Common mistakes

The fixed phrase is out of thin air, not in thin air, when something seems to appear from nowhere.
IncorrectCorrect
She created the report in thin air. She created the report out of thin air.
Out of thin air means from a clear source. Out of thin air means from no obvious source.
The idea came from thin air out. The idea came out of thin air.
He bought it out of thin air at the store. He seemed to invent it out of thin air.

Similar words

from nowhere
from nothing
without a source
from no clear cause
as if by magic

Disappear completely

everyday
neutral
Used in the phrase into thin air to mean completely or mysteriously gone.

Usage

Use vanish into thin air or disappear into thin air for complete or mysterious disappearance. The usual preposition is into.

Examples

  • The witness seemed to vanish into thin air.
  • My keys disappeared into thin air.
  • The magician made the coin vanish into thin air.
  • The documents did not simply disappear into thin air.
  • By morning, the fog had vanished into thin air.

Common mistakes

The fixed phrase is into thin air, not to thin air, when something disappears.
IncorrectCorrect
The wallet vanished out of thin air. The wallet vanished into thin air.
Into thin air means into a visible box. Into thin air means completely or mysteriously gone.
He disappeared to thin air. He disappeared into thin air.
Vanish into thin air means appear suddenly. Vanish into thin air means disappear suddenly.

Similar words

disappear completely
vanish
disappear without a trace
evaporate
be gone

Usage

Distinguish the literal and idiomatic senses. Thin air alone can be literal, while out of thin air and into thin air are fixed idioms with special meanings.

Common mistakes

Do not swap the idiom prepositions: something comes out of thin air and disappears into thin air.

Etymology

The phrase combines thin, meaning not dense or sparse, with air. The idioms use the image of empty air so slight that something seems to appear or disappear without a visible source.

FAQ

What does thin air mean?

Literally, it can mean less dense air, especially at high altitude.

What does out of thin air mean?

It means from nowhere or with no clear source, evidence, or material.

What does vanish into thin air mean?

It means disappear completely or mysteriously.

Does thin air mean dirty air?

No. Dirty air is polluted air. Thin air is less dense air.

Which preposition goes with disappear?

The normal phrase is disappear into thin air or vanish into thin air.

What is a synonym for out of thin air?

Synonyms include from nowhere, from nothing, without a source, and as if by magic.

How do you use thin air in a sentence?

For example: Climbers struggled to breathe in the thin air.

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