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
Your daughter breathes that same air, inhaling the virus directly into her respiratory tract.
—
Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
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
Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhaling
Verb
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Early in the premiere, M brags about her party guests devouring her fancy salad.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
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Somali immigrants in Minnesota devouring residents’ cats and dogs?—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This viral anti-slip slow feeder lick bowl helps prevent gulping and bloating, while keeping your dogs entertained for longer with a healthy, fun challenge.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Instead of cramming huge amounts of fiber into one meal, fiberlayering emphasizes distributing fiber steadily across the day and pulling it from a wide range of whole foods.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
5 Mar. 2026
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Instead of cramming more expensive computers into the cars themselves, the team led by postdoctoral researcher Kun Woo Cho decided to put the brains into the road.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inhaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhaling. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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