Definition of lung
1a : one of the usually paired compound saccular thoracic organs that constitute the basic respiratory organs of an air-breathing vertebrateb : any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2a : a device enabling individuals abandoning a submarine to rise to the surfaceb : a mechanical device for regularly introducing fresh air into and withdrawing stale air from the lung : respirator — compare iron lung
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Examples of lung in a Sentence
He filled his lungs with the clean. fresh air.
Recent Examples of lung from the Web
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Although lung cancer screenings are recommended for all people with notable histories of smoking, few of these individuals avail themselves of the option.
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Jeff Leal, the provincial lawmaker for Peterborough, said his father worked as a machinist at GE for 40 years and died of lung cancer less than a year after retiring.
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Cardiac arrest, an electrical malfunction that causes an irregular heartbeat known as arrhythmia, disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs and is a leading cause of death, according to cpr.heart.org.
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While an earlier study had shown a similar immunotherapy drug to be effective for a significant proportion of patients with advanced melanoma or lung or kidney cancer, checkpoint inhibitors weren't making headway with colon cancer.
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The ATV then rolled on top of him, lacerating his liver and collapsing his lung.
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While an earlier study had shown a similar immunotherapy drug was effective for a significant proportion of patients with advanced melanoma, lung and kidney cancer, checkpoint inhibitors weren’t making headway with colon cancer.
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The American Institute for Cancer Research points to research showing that the carotenoids in dark green leafy vegetables can inhibit the growth of certain types of breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells, lung cancer and stomach cancer.
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The cause was lung cancer, a family spokeswoman said.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lung'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of lung
Middle English lunge, from Old English lungen; akin to Old High German lungun lung, līhti light in weight — more at light
First Known Use: before 12th century
LUNG Defined for English Language Learners
lung
playDefinition of lung for English Language Learners
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: either one of the two organs that people and animals use to breathe air
LUNG Defined for Kids
lung
playDefinition of lung for Students
: either of two organs in the chest that are like bags and are the main breathing structure in animals that breathe air
Medical Dictionary
lung
playMedical Definition of lung
1a: one of the usually two compound saccular organs that constitute the basic respiratory organ of air-breathing vertebrates, that normally occupy the entire lateral parts of the thorax and consist essentially of an inverted tree of intricately branched bronchioles communicating with thin-walled terminal alveoli swathed in a network of delicate capillaries where the actual gaseous exchange of respiration takes place, and that in humans are somewhat flattened with a broad base resting against the diaphragm and have the right lung divided into three lobes and the left into two lobesb: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2: a mechanical device for regularly introducing fresh air into and withdrawing stale air from the lungs : respirator—see iron lung
lunged
adjectiveIllustration of lung
Learn More about lung
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See words that rhyme with lung Spanish Central: Translation of lung Nglish: Translation of lung for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lung for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lung
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