1
: transient cessation of respiration
especially
: sleep apnea
2
Examples of apnea in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Children diagnosed with whooping cough, a respiratory infection, can lose their breath, have apnea spells, or vomit.
—
Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025
Researchers captured around 500 sleep recordings from each participant, from both weeknights and weekends between January 2020 and September 2023, using a device that estimates sleep duration, sleep timing, and apnea severity.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 15 Aug. 2025
To protect the fetus, care teams increasingly skip a necessary diagnostic for brain death called apnea testing, which involves momentarily removing the ventilator to test the respiratory centers of the brain stem.
—Lindsey Breitwieser, The Conversation, 1 July 2025
This can lead to more frequent awakenings, shallower sleep and worsened airway instability, resulting in more apnea events.
—Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for apnea
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Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2025
Researchers captured around 500 sleep recordings from each participant, from both weeknights and weekends between January 2020 and September 2023, using a device that estimates sleep duration, sleep timing, and apnea severity.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 15 Aug. 2025
To protect the fetus, care teams increasingly skip a necessary diagnostic for brain death called apnea testing, which involves momentarily removing the ventilator to test the respiratory centers of the brain stem.
—Lindsey Breitwieser, The Conversation, 1 July 2025
This can lead to more frequent awakenings, shallower sleep and worsened airway instability, resulting in more apnea events.
—Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for apnea
Cite this Entry
“Apnea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apnea. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
apnea
noun
ap·nea
1
: transient cessation of respiration whether normal (as in hibernating animals) or abnormal (as that caused by certain drugs) see sleep apnea
2
: asphyxia
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