Midair is the space in the middle of the sky, between the ground and higher up. When a basketball player leaps and catches a pass in midair, they grab the ball while both they and the ball are floating in space, before either one lands. When a gymnast twists in midair during a vault, she's spinning while completely off the ground.

The word describes that suspended moment when something or someone is neither on the ground nor resting on anything else. A hawk might seize its prey in midair, catching another bird while both are flying. During a game of catch, the baseball spends most of its time in midair between the two players.

Midair often appears in dramatic moments: planes refueling in midair while flying, or a skateboarder grabbing their board in midair during a trick. The word captures that brief, thrilling state of being completely airborne, when gravity hasn't yet pulled you or your object back down.