as in devouring
to swallow or eat greedily
inhaled the doughnuts so quickly that you would have missed it if you blinked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 inhaling
Simply inhaling for four counts and exhaling for four counts brings oxygen to your muscles, reducing the emotion's intensity and relaxing the body.
—
Juli Fraga, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
In particular, inhaling Aspergillus fumigatus can cause serious lung problems, including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, aspergilloma, allergic asthma, pneumonitis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
—New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Within seconds of inhaling the foul odor, the white dog springs back in disgust and hastily shuffles to the other side of the bed, as though trying to escape the smell altogether.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Casteel suspects that long before whole-body deodorant arrived on the market, many people were using existing products in unsafe ways; in rare cases, people have died from inadvertently inhaling the gases of aerosol deodorants.
—Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
More than a dozen workers at a Montana animal shelter were hospitalized last week after inhaling methamphetamine that officials burned in an on-site incinerator.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
In a 2019 study, inhaling xenon for just two minutes increased EPO levels for up to eight days, albeit with plenty of variability between subjects.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
Instead of inhaling just burning vegetation, wildland firefighters are increasingly exposed to hazardous and carcinogenic substances, Rahn said.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Most sneezes are triggered by contact with infectious agents or after inhaling irritants, but the cause of photic sneezing is not fully understood.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Juli Fraga, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
In particular, inhaling Aspergillus fumigatus can cause serious lung problems, including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, aspergilloma, allergic asthma, pneumonitis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
—New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Within seconds of inhaling the foul odor, the white dog springs back in disgust and hastily shuffles to the other side of the bed, as though trying to escape the smell altogether.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Casteel suspects that long before whole-body deodorant arrived on the market, many people were using existing products in unsafe ways; in rare cases, people have died from inadvertently inhaling the gases of aerosol deodorants.
—Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
More than a dozen workers at a Montana animal shelter were hospitalized last week after inhaling methamphetamine that officials burned in an on-site incinerator.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
In a 2019 study, inhaling xenon for just two minutes increased EPO levels for up to eight days, albeit with plenty of variability between subjects.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
Instead of inhaling just burning vegetation, wildland firefighters are increasingly exposed to hazardous and carcinogenic substances, Rahn said.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Most sneezes are triggered by contact with infectious agents or after inhaling irritants, but the cause of photic sneezing is not fully understood.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhaling
Verb
-
There’s an immediacy to devouring the music.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
To stay alive, Pi must now find a way to co-habitate with a companion who has other ideas, such as devouring him.—
Rick Mauch,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One night Icarius got all his friends together for a wine-tasting party that quickly got out of hand and turned into a wine-gulping party.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The pressure is always on the taker, the player standing, gulping, trying desperately not to unload their lunch onto the turf, preparing to do something theoretically simple — kick the ball into the net from 12 yards with only one opponent able to stop them.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Government funding has been appropriated this way for the past nine fiscal years, with Congress cramming 108 spending measures into 13 bills.—
Lazaro Gamio,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of cramming it all into a tiny box, Robeta gave it a soft curtain enclosure that keeps the look minimal and the space functional.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inhaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhaling. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share