air dam
noun
: a device attached to the underside of the front of an automobile to improve stability, aerodynamic performance, and engine cooling by redirecting the flow of air
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The improved approach angle comes with the front air dam being removed, and the front axle moving farther forward. 
Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2022 Combined with removing the front air dam, the extra lift increases the approach angle by 5 degrees to 34 degrees. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 17 May 2022 Even the optional air dam and tire carrier aren't unique to Futura. K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 2 Feb. 2022 While more than 1,000 units of the 3.0 CSL were made, only 167 of the final road-going 3.2-liter cars were delivered with the Bat costume, including the front air dam, fender strakes, basket-handle roof spoiler and enormous rear wing. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2021 The suspension lift raises the truck 1.0-inch, and the package also includes the removal of the front air dam and the addition of skid plates for the front and middle of the underbody. Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 14 July 2021 Trail Editions are also raised up—1.1 inches in the front and a half-inch out back—and along with the removal of the front air dam allows for a 2.0-degree increase at approach. Connor Hoffman, Car and Driver, 2 June 2021 The highest impact ice event of that winter unfolded Feb. 10-11, with a massive cold air dam that stretched east of the Appalachians from Maine to Georgia. Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2020 The Appalachian Mountains often trap the dense, icy air layer, known as a cold air dam, while Atlantic winds usher in a milder air mass that glides up and over the top. Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2020 See More
Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2022 Combined with removing the front air dam, the extra lift increases the approach angle by 5 degrees to 34 degrees. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 17 May 2022 Even the optional air dam and tire carrier aren't unique to Futura. K.c. Colwell, Car and Driver, 2 Feb. 2022 While more than 1,000 units of the 3.0 CSL were made, only 167 of the final road-going 3.2-liter cars were delivered with the Bat costume, including the front air dam, fender strakes, basket-handle roof spoiler and enormous rear wing. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2021 The suspension lift raises the truck 1.0-inch, and the package also includes the removal of the front air dam and the addition of skid plates for the front and middle of the underbody. Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, 14 July 2021 Trail Editions are also raised up—1.1 inches in the front and a half-inch out back—and along with the removal of the front air dam allows for a 2.0-degree increase at approach. Connor Hoffman, Car and Driver, 2 June 2021 The highest impact ice event of that winter unfolded Feb. 10-11, with a massive cold air dam that stretched east of the Appalachians from Maine to Georgia. Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2020 The Appalachian Mountains often trap the dense, icy air layer, known as a cold air dam, while Atlantic winds usher in a milder air mass that glides up and over the top. Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1970, in the meaning defined above