hyperventilating

present participle of hyperventilate
as in gasping
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty he was so nervous he began hyperventilating, and the extra oxygen made him dizzy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hyperventilating She was even famously hospitalized for hyperventilating while watching a Lakers game from home. Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 Roscoe pulled over; his daughter started hyperventilating. Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025 If this sounds like a laundry list of hyperventilating superlatives, then my work here is largely done. Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2025 Specifically, a 1940s B-picture conjuring up some heavy Maria Montez mojo, known as Kiss of the Spider Woman — a typically hyperventilating melodrama that featured a vamping diva playing several parts, including the venomous title character. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025 The hyperactive plotting runs on hyperventilating prose. Book Marks september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hyperventilating
Verb
  • Gauff and Muchová had the crowd gasping in the thick heat through the tiebreak, which produced some of the most electric shots of what had already been a tense match.
    Ava Wallace, New York Times, 9 July 2026
  • Several people reported that the boy seemed to be gasping for air, police said.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 7 July 2026
Verb
  • When panting alone cannot shed enough heat, dogs fall back on shade.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • Dogs primarily regulate heat through panting and small sweat glands in their paw pads, according to the American Kennel Club.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hyperventilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hyperventilating. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster