1
a
: one of the usually paired compound saccular thoracic organs that constitute the basic respiratory organs of an air-breathing vertebrate
b
: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2
a
: a device enabling individuals abandoning a submarine to rise to the surface
b
: a mechanical device for regularly introducing fresh air into and withdrawing stale air from the lung : respirator compare iron lung
lungful noun

Examples of lung in a Sentence

He filled his lungs with the clean. fresh air.
Recent Examples on the Web In the clip, Luna and her mom snuggled up on the couch to watch the video, when Luna suddenly screeched at the top of her lungs. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 His character starts as a light-hearted goof who sings at the top of his lungs and embraces his lover, Ennis (a subdued Ledger), without fear or self-consciousness. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Heather Jarrell, the state’s medical investigator, testified that the bullet punctured Hutchins’ right lung — a lethal wound — and went through her spinal cord. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024 The long-term manifestations of the illness tend to come in the form of lingering respiratory problems, like lung fibrosis or shortness of breath. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2024 His son Jamie Macbeth said the cause of his death, which was not widely reported, was lung cancer. Clay Risen, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Sweeney died Monday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank after a long battle with lung cancer, Dave Burle, who worked alongside Sweeney at his company for many years, told The Hollywood Reporter. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 Further investigations featuring the TIL therapy are ongoing, including combining it with other immunotherapies for metastatic melanoma, as well as testing the therapy in other types of cancer such as lung cancer. Victoria Forster, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Since then, Wu’s team, other groups of medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Moderna and BioNTech, have further developed this field of research, with trials underway for vaccines that treat pancreatic and lung cancer as well as melanoma. Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lung.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lunge, from Old English lungen; akin to Old High German lungun lung, līhti light in weight — more at light

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of lung was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lung

Cite this Entry

“Lung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lung. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lung

noun
1
a
: one of the usually paired organs forming the special breathing structure of vertebrates that breathe air
b
: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2
: a device (as an iron lung) to promote breathing and make it easier

Medical Definition

lung

noun
1
a
: one of the usually two compound saccular organs that constitute the basic respiratory organ of air-breathing vertebrates, that normally occupy the entire lateral parts of the thorax and consist essentially of an inverted tree of intricately branched bronchioles communicating with thin-walled terminal alveoli swathed in a network of delicate capillaries where the actual gaseous exchange of respiration takes place, and that in humans are somewhat flattened with a broad base resting against the diaphragm and have the right lung divided into three lobes and the left into two lobes
b
: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2
: a mechanical device for regularly introducing fresh air into and withdrawing stale air from the lungs : respirator see iron lung
lunged adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on lung

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