as in gasping
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
he was wheezing rapidly after a hard run
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wheezing
The main symptoms are wheezing, difficult breathing and fever.
—
Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Southampton gave it a good go last season, but ultimately fell short, wheezing over the line with 12.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Southampton gave it a good go last season, but ultimately fell short, wheezing over the line with 12.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wheezing
Verb
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That one is a flimsy piano ballad where the duo’s approach to vocals—strangled, swirled and gasping—comes off more annoying than innovative, like a joke that isn’t funny anymore.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
12 Jan. 2026
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Those in the audience were heard clapping, cheering and even gasping during the performance.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Her dog panting, unquestioning, always thrilled to see her.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
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Gus was awake and panting at his feet.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wheezing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wheezing. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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