wheeze

verb \ ˈhwēz , ˈwēz \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: wheeze in a Sentence

Definition of wheeze

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

See wheeze defined for English-language learners

See wheeze defined for kids

Examples of wheeze in a Sentence

He was up all night hacking and wheezing.
The car's motor wheezed and stalled.

Recent Examples of wheeze from the Web

In the nadir of the 1970s, choked by smog regulations and forced to contend with unleaded gasoline, manufacturers built massive V8s that wheezed.

— blake z. rong, Popular Mechanics, "The Evolution of the Combustion Engine," 5 June 2018
After watching his team clank and wheeze in the first half against the Rockets, punctuated by a fumble-finger Green pass to a surprised fan in the third row, Kerr called a timeout.

— michael powell, New York Times, "You Knew the Warriors Were Coming Back. The Rockets Did, Too.," 29 May 2018
And on his new download-only Mdou Moctar Meets Elite Beat in a Budget Dancehall (Boomarm Nation), his trebly electric-guitar leads thread a leisurely path through elastic reggae beats, wheezing organ, and rhythmically huffed flute.

— bill meyer, Chicago Reader, "The stylistic range of Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar runs as deep as the communal roots of his music," 25 May 2018
Choppy ice conditions kept causing pucks to wobble, a product of 90-degree temperatures outside (and not hot air wheezed by blowhards whining about an expansion team’s success).

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Golden Knights, Capitals Provide Game 1 Cup Final Spectacle Fitting for Vegas," 29 May 2018
The group balances kitsch with earnest adoration, injecting twangy surf-guitar licks and wheezing Farfisa organ riffs into galloping polyrhythms.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Sonido Gallo Negro transform mambo, cumbia, and more with retro kitsch and postmodern flair," 17 May 2018
Hemmed in by fast-growing condo developments, crumbling older houses, and the clang and wheeze of light industry, the park at Hannah and Peralta streets feels like an oasis.

— andrew simmons, San Francisco Chronicle, "Rodney Spencer and the struggles and rewards of a West Oakland urban farm," 27 Apr. 2018
The little house on Prairie Road rattled and wheezed as the wind ripped through its small rooms and narrow hallways with the roar of a thousand freight trains.

— martin kuz, San Antonio Express-News, "After the hurricane, the storm within," 9 Apr. 2018
But as long as some children have this respiratory vulnerability—and some always will—then allowing pollution to fill our air will make some children wheeze, and cough, and die.

— rob verger, Newsweek, "Newsweek Rewind: 15 Years After Columbine, a Nation Still Asks ‘Why?’," 17 Apr. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wheeze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wheeze

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

wheeze Synonyms

Synonyms

blow, gasp, heave, hyperventilate, pant, puff;

Related Words

choke, gag, gulp, huff;

asphyxiate, smother, stifle, strangle;

snore, snuffle;

exhale, expire;

Phrases

be out of breath;

wheeze

noun

Definition of wheeze

1 : a sound of wheezing

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

b : a trite saying or proverb

See wheeze defined for English-language learners

Examples of wheeze in a Sentence

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 of wheeze from the Web

But while the category recognized such hard rock leading lights as Metallica and Jane's Addiction, the award ended up going to Crest of a Knave, the 16th album from prog-rock wheeze kids Jethro Tull.

— andrew unterberger, Billboard, "60 Grammys, 60 Moments: The Greatest Moment From Every Grammys Ceremony So Far," 26 Jan. 2018
The answer is not, as is suggested now, including by some at National Review, ‘a return to congressional government.’ That is a fraud and merely the latest wheeze of the never-Trumpers.

— conrad black, National Review, "As the Mockery Dwindles," 6 Sep. 2017
The new performances up the intensity, which is only further heightened by the nasty rasp and sinister wheeze that age has visited upon Lunch’s voice.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Postpunk chanteuse Lydia Lunch sounds more vital than ever fronting the career-spanning Retrovirus," 13 July 2017
Or is this all just a teenage wheeze to escape boredom?

— tony lacy-thompson, The Mercury News, "Eight short plays add up to a fine time at the theater," 18 May 2017
Perhaps the best known of these was the John Birch Society, founded in 1958 as a dying wheeze of McCarthyism.

— graeme wood, The Atlantic, "His Kampf," 14 May 2017
The coughs to clear my throat became involuntary and more violent, with the whistling rattle of a wheeze.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "How to Beat Asthma," 5 July 2017

First Known Use of wheeze

1800

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

WHEEZE Defined for English Language Learners

wheeze

verb

Definition of wheeze for English Language Learners

: to breathe loudly and with difficulty
: to make a sound like a person who is breathing with difficulty

wheeze

noun

Definition of wheeze for English Language Learners

: the sound made by a person who is having difficulty breathing or a similar sound : the sound of wheezing
: a clever idea or joke

WHEEZE Defined for Kids

wheeze

verb \ ˈhwēz , ˈwēz \

Definition of wheeze for Students

wheezed; wheezing

1 : to breathe with difficulty and usually with a whistling sound

2 : to make a whistling sound like someone having difficulty breathing

wheeze

noun

Definition of wheeze for Students

: a whistling sound like that made by someone having difficulty breathing

Medical Dictionary

wheeze

intransitive verb \ ˈhwēz , ˈwēz \

medical Definition of wheeze

wheezed; wheezing

: to breathe with difficulty usually with a whistling sound

wheeze

noun

medical Definition of wheeze

: a sibilant whistling sound caused by difficult or obstructed respiration

Learn More about wheeze

See words that rhyme with wheeze Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wheeze Spanish Central: Translation of wheeze Nglish: Translation of wheeze for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wheeze for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wheeze

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up wheeze? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

wheeze

Definition of wheeze

Examples of wheeze in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wheeze from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wheeze

wheeze Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases

wheeze

Definition of wheeze

Examples of wheeze in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wheeze from the Web

First Known Use of wheeze

WHEEZE Defined for English Language Learners

wheeze

Definition of wheeze for English Language Learners

wheeze

Definition of wheeze for English Language Learners

WHEEZE Defined for Kids

wheeze

Definition of wheeze for Students

wheeze

Definition of wheeze for Students

Medical Dictionary

wheeze

medical Definition of wheeze

wheeze

medical Definition of wheeze

Learn More about wheeze

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What It Means to Go ‘Radio Silent’

Words for Summer: A Quiz

If the Shoe Fits

Trending: 'Asylum' Trends as Policies Draw Attention

Ghost Word