as in devouring
to swallow or eat greedily
inhaled the doughnuts so quickly that you would have missed it if you blinked
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Recent Examples of inhaling
These new players were inhaling possibilities.
—
Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
They are sought out by patients who want to stop inhaling smoke, who can’t tolerate withdrawal, or who have failed repeatedly with abstinence-only approaches.
—Timothy Vermillion, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
In 2020, the actor, who has struggled with substance abuse, suffered a relapse and was arrested in Texas for allegedly inhaling air duster.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Cover your face too, because Islam said inhaling extremely cold air can cause the blood vessels to constrict.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 30 Jan. 2026
That means that, for 20 years, as the real ambulances would idle on set, the crew and actors would be inhaling the diesel fumes that being emitted from the loud, life-saving vehicles.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
For decades the capital had worked like a slowly exploding atom bomb, inhaling poor Filipinos from the provinces and spitting them into distant suburbs, transforming rural barangays into slums of concrete and zinc.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Nearly all the health damage from smoking comes from inhaling smoke produced by burning tobacco, not from nicotine itself.
—Kevin Bardosh, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2026
Keep peppermint oil away from babies and young children, as inhaling the menthol in the oil may cause serious side effects for them.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 14 Jan. 2026
Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
They are sought out by patients who want to stop inhaling smoke, who can’t tolerate withdrawal, or who have failed repeatedly with abstinence-only approaches.
—Timothy Vermillion, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
In 2020, the actor, who has struggled with substance abuse, suffered a relapse and was arrested in Texas for allegedly inhaling air duster.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Cover your face too, because Islam said inhaling extremely cold air can cause the blood vessels to constrict.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 30 Jan. 2026
That means that, for 20 years, as the real ambulances would idle on set, the crew and actors would be inhaling the diesel fumes that being emitted from the loud, life-saving vehicles.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
For decades the capital had worked like a slowly exploding atom bomb, inhaling poor Filipinos from the provinces and spitting them into distant suburbs, transforming rural barangays into slums of concrete and zinc.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Nearly all the health damage from smoking comes from inhaling smoke produced by burning tobacco, not from nicotine itself.
—Kevin Bardosh, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2026
Keep peppermint oil away from babies and young children, as inhaling the menthol in the oil may cause serious side effects for them.
—Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhaling
Verb
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Matias Cid, a 25-year-old student who lives in Penco, described fast-moving flames burning through the night and devouring homes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Kelson sees the fragments of the individual left in this person the virus has turned into a brain-devouring behemoth and wonders at them.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yes, gulping the liquid the night before was an ordeal — try drinking three liters of anything in three hours, going to sleep, then waking up six hours later for one final liter.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Protostars are messy and dynamic, gulping down material in spurts and fits and ejecting powerful outflows of wind and jets that punch into the surrounding clouds.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Each story unfolds at a rapid pace, bouncing between provocative shots of eccentric people and cramming two distinct sets of warring neighbors into each half-hour episode.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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With the current contact period, during which coaches can visit recruits, ending Saturday and the following period not starting until mid-April, his team was busy booking charter flights and cramming seven days' worth of visits into four or five days.—
Doug Gollan,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inhaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhaling. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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