as in to gasp
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
he was so nervous he began hyperventilating, and the extra oxygen made him dizzy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hyperventilate
People ran pell-mell outside, sped away in cars with no clear destination, went to church, or just phoned the police or radio station to hyperventilate.
—
Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Joey and Jesse hyperventilate at the sight of her.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024
Wall Street has been hyperventilating over Nvidia and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
—Howard Yu, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
At the same time, too, this is the same man who grew up on pastoral Oregon farmland, pushing himself on pre-dawn lifts, who nearly hyperventilated in the shower before one freshman-year playoff game at Crescent Valley.
—Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hyperventilate
Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Joey and Jesse hyperventilate at the sight of her.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024
Wall Street has been hyperventilating over Nvidia and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
—Howard Yu, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
At the same time, too, this is the same man who grew up on pastoral Oregon farmland, pushing himself on pre-dawn lifts, who nearly hyperventilated in the shower before one freshman-year playoff game at Crescent Valley.
—Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hyperventilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hyperventilate
Verb
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Breathing difficulties: The shock of sudden cold-water exposure can cause bouts of wheezing, gasping, and rapid breathing (hyperventilating).—
Mark Gurarie,
Verywell Health,
9 July 2025
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Symptoms include snoring, gasping during sleep, waking up tired and difficulty falling or staying asleep Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) This condition is caused by the inflammatory proteins that are present in both psoriasis and metabolic syndrome, Dupati says.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Flow Space,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Summer is the time for road trips, camping, and beach days — but for many of our furry friends, the sun and high temperatures can lead to overheating (signaled by your dog excessively panting and lying prone).—
Jeaneen Russell,
People.com,
18 June 2025
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Dogs everywhere — barking, panting and running away from their owners — was the scene Tuesday at a pop-up wellness clinic for pets at the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Campus Place in downtown St. Paul.—
Safiya Mohamed,
Twin Cities,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hyperventilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hyperventilate. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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