inhale

verb

in·​hale in-ˈhāl 

inhaled; inhaling

transitive verb

1

: to draw in by breathing

2

: to take in eagerly or greedily

… inhaled about four meals at once.

—Ring Lardner

intransitive verb

: to breathe in

inhale

in-ˈhāl 

ˈin-ˌhāl

noun

Synonyms of inhale

• devour
• gulp
• cram

Examples of inhale in a Sentence

This medicine can now be inhaled.

She inhaled the fresh country air.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, trying to relax.

After inhaling their dinner, the children ran out the door without even saying goodbye.

Recent Examples on the Web

But some people abuse it by inhaling it to feel relaxed or euphoric. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

In effect, thousands of tons of materials that were never intended to be inhaled were crushed, burned, aerosolized and deposited across a densely populated urban area. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Messick emerged from the dugout tunnel Monday afternoon in a hoodie with cutoff sleeves, inhaled and reveled in the crisp air that tends to accompany a playoff race. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

And viral trends like the cinnamon challenge can cause potential injury by accidentally inhaling the powder. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

in- + exhale

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for inhale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

inhale

verb

in·​hale in-ˈhā(ə)l 

inhaled; inhaling

1

: to draw in by breathing

2

: to breathe in

Medical Definition

inhale

verb

in·​hale in-ˈhā(ə)l 

inhaled; inhaling

transitive verb

: to draw in by breathing

intransitive verb

: to breathe in