grab some air

Verb

grab some air (third-person singular simple present grabs some air, present participle grabbing some air, simple past and past participle grabbed some air)

1. To catch one's breath; to take deep breaths after stressful or strenuous activity or after holding one's breath.
   • Grab some air. Don't flail. Get horizontal. Grab some air again. Relax.2013, Diane Beck, Project Management Secrets, →ISBN
   • Finally the meeting started and that gave a few moments to grab some air and calm myself.2013, Ramón Ángel Salamán Nicolini, Grasping Life, →ISBN, page 29
2. To go outside for some fresh air; get some air.
   • I was grabbing some air outside the Cavu Club when, far above me, I heard the slow clang of geese bucking head winds, winging north.1953, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers's Journal, page 65
   • You and the flyboys have everything buttoned up, and I feel like grabbing some air and taking a stroll.2007, Julian Hudson, Black Alert at Gonzo Station, →ISBN, page 415
3. (slang) To gain altitude.
   • Instantly I applied full throttle, and eased back on the wheel, hoping that our friend, the T-craft would grab some air and put a few feet between us and all that snow and ice.1957 May, Robert Sundberg, “I learned about flying from that!”, in Flying Magazine, volume 60, number 5, page 52
   • I hate first flights in anything, no matter how ideal the circumstances, but my discomfort was eased considerably upon firewalling the beast, lifting the tail, and grabbing some air. The responsive feel was unmistakable.1985, Jim Richard Campbell, Flyer's guide to ultralights, page 12
4. (extreme sports) To become airborne; catch air.
   • Whap! A small surfboard goes by, grabbing some air.1988, The Connoisseur: An Illustrated Magazine for Collectors
   • He used the tilted side as a ramp, grabbed some air, fakied down, and ollied back onto level ground.1992, Troy Bannon, Mean Street, →ISBN, page 41