apnea

noun

ap·​nea ˈap-nē-ə 

1

: transient cessation of respiration

especially : sleep apnea

2

: asphyxia sense 1

Examples of apnea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While none of these alone are inducing an attack, these bouts of apnea add up. —Julia Daye, Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2025

Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea causes pauses in your breathing during sleep, which trigger a surge in stress hormones and make your blood vessels tighten. —Alexandria Nyembwe, Health, 27 Nov. 2025

Veterans with untreated sleep apnea were almost twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s as those without apnea, the study found. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 Nov. 2025

My smiling face on every poster for sleep-apnea studies. —Cora Frazier, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from a- + -pnea

First Known Use

circa 1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing apnea

• sleep apnea

Medical Definition

apnea

noun

ap·​nea

variants or chiefly British apnoea

ˈap-nē-ə  ap-ˈnē- 

1

: transient cessation of respiration whether normal (as in hibernating animals) or abnormal (as that caused by certain drugs) see sleep apnea

2

: asphyxia

apneic adjective

or chiefly British apnoeic

ap-ˈnē-ik