wheezier; wheeziest
1
: inclined to wheeze
2
: having a wheezing sound
a wheezy cough
the wheezy call of a phoebe
wheezily adverb
wheeziness noun

Examples of wheezy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The dash to 60 mph on a short freeway merge now takes a breezy 7.1 seconds instead of a wheezy 10.5 ticks. Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 14 Dec. 2022 The black exotic shorthair, a wheezy female with a squashed face and soulful orange eyes, is named for Owens, says his partner, Brittany Means, whose tweet about Jeff and Baby Jeff went viral this past spring. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2022 While these viruses can mimic one another in symptoms, typically COVID-19 tends to be a dryer respiratory infection than RSV, which tends to produce wheezy coughing. Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Oct. 2022 Rebecca Mead reports on the strangeness and abandon of spring break, and Colin Stokes provides a wheezy guide to allergy season. The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2022 Eventually Diana makes her way to the compound, late, gumming up the works of the wheezy old machine of the House of Windsor. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Nov. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wheezy was in 1818

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wheezy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheezy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

wheezy

adjective
ˈhwē-zē How to pronounce wheezy (audio)
ˈwē-
wheezier; wheeziest
1
: tending to wheeze
a wheezy infant
2
: making or having the sound of wheezing
a wheezy cough
wheezy old cars
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