wheeze

1 of 2

verb

ˈ(h)wēz 

wheezed; wheezing

intransitive verb

1

: to breathe with difficulty usually with a whistling sound

2

: to make a sound resembling that of wheezing

the bellows wheezed

wheeze

2 of 2

noun

1

: a sound of wheezing

2

a

: an often repeated and widely known joke used especially by entertainers

b

: a trite saying or proverb

Synonyms of wheeze

Verb

• gasp
• pant

Examples of wheeze in a Sentence

Verb

He was up all night hacking and wheezing.

The car's motor wheezed and stalled.

Noun

Between gasps and wheezes, he tried to explain what had happened.

the wheeze of an engine

We can count on him for a good wheeze.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The main symptoms are wheezing, difficult breathing and fever. —Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026

Southampton gave it a good go last season, but ultimately fell short, wheezing over the line with 12. —Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026

Noun

Dohnányi missed its characterful wheeze. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025

The hectic, high-speed insanity of any race in the new Mario Kart World would have caused the eight-year-old Switch console to wheeze a bit. —Lou Kesten, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English whesen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hvæsa to hiss; akin to Old English hwǣst action of blowing, Sanskrit śvasiti he blows, snorts

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wheeze

• bees
• bes
• breeze
• cheese
• crees
• crise
• deas
• dees
• ease
• fees
• fleas
• flees

Kids Definition

wheeze

1 of 2 verb

ˈhwēz 

ˈwēz

wheezed; wheezing

1

: to breathe with difficulty especially with a whistling sound

2

: to make a sound like wheezing

wheeze

2 of 2 noun

: a wheezing sound

Medical Definition

wheeze

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈhwēz  ˈwēz 

wheezed; wheezing

: to breathe with difficulty usually with a whistling sound

wheeze

2 of 2 noun

: a sibilant whistling sound caused by difficult or obstructed respiration