hypoxia

noun

hyp·​ox·​ia hi-ˈpäk-sē-ə  hī- 

: a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body

Examples of hypoxia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The reading is generally a mark of how well oxygen is traveling from the lungs into the bloodstream, and levels below 90% indicate hypoxia – a lack of sufficient oxygen. —New Atlas, 9 Feb. 2026

Carbon dioxide builds up in the bloodstream, hypoxia sets in, and circulation falters. —Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026

In 2024, Alabama introduced nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. —Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2026

There were also problems with her potassium levels (hypokalemia), oxygen levels (hypoxia), and fluid in her lungs (pulmonary edema). —Hazlitt, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hypoxia

• anoxia
• hyperoxia

Medical Definition

hypoxia

noun

hyp·​ox·​ia hip-ˈäk-sē-ə  hī-ˈpäk- 

: a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body

Mountain sickness is caused primarily by a lack of oxygen, or hypoxia. Atmospheric pressure decreases as one moves away from sea level, and because the percentage of oxygen in air remains constant, the concentration of oxygen is decreased. Lower levels of oxygen initiate a series of potentially fatal physiological changes.

—Charles S. Houston, Scientific American