breeze

¹ American  

[breez] / briz /

noun

1. a wind or current of air, especially a light or moderate one.

2. a wind of 4–31 miles per hour (2–14 meters per second).

3. Informal. an easy task; something done or carried on without difficulty.

   Finding people to join in the adventure was a breeze.

4. Chiefly British Informal. a disturbance or quarrel.

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verb (used without object)

breezes, present (3rd person singular) breezed, past participle, past breezing present participle

1. (of the wind) to blow a breeze (usually used impersonally with it as subject).

   It breezed from the west all day.

2. to move in a self-confident or jaunty manner.

   She breezed up to the police officer and asked for directions.

3. Informal. to proceed quickly and easily; move rapidly without intense effort (often followed by along, into, orthrough ).

   He breezed through the task.

   The car breezed along the highway.

verb (used with object)

breezes, present (3rd person singular) breezed, past participle, past breezing present participle

1. to cause to move in an easy or effortless manner, especially at less than full speed.

   The boy breezed the horse around the track.

verb phrase

1. breeze in

   1. to win effortlessly.

      He breezed in with an election plurality of 200,000.

   2. Also breeze intoout. to move or act with a casual or careless attitude.

      He breezed out without paying attention to anyone.

2. breeze up to become windy.

idioms

1. shoot / bat the breeze, to converse aimlessly; chat.

   We sat around most of the afternoon, just shooting the breeze.

breeze ² American  

[breez] / briz /

noun

1. cinders, ash, or dust from coal, coke, or charcoal.

2. concrete, brick, or cinder block in which such materials form a component.

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breeze ¹ British  

/ briːz /

noun

1. a gentle or light wind

2. meteorol a wind of force two to six inclusive on the Beaufort scale

3. informal an easy task or state of ease

   being happy here is a breeze

4. informal a disturbance, esp a lively quarrel

5. informal to chat

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verb

1. to move quickly or casually

   he breezed into the room

2. (of wind) to blow

   the south wind breezed over the fields

breeze ² British  

/ briːz /

noun

1. an archaic or dialect name for the gadfly

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breeze ³ British  

/ briːz /

noun

1. ashes of coal, coke, or charcoal used to make breeze blocks

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breeze More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing breeze

• hands down (in a breeze)
• shoot the breeze

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Synonym Usage

See wind ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• breezeless
  adjective
• breezelike
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have breezed
  perfect
• has breezed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been breezing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been breezing
  perfect progressive
• is breezing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am breezing
  progressive 1st person singular
• are breezing
  progressive
• breezes
  singular 3rd person
• breezing
  participle

Past

• had breezed
  perfect
• was breezing
  progressive singular
• had been breezing
  perfect progressive
• were breezing
  progressive plural
• breezed
  participle
• breezed
  simple

Future

• will breeze
  simple
• will have breezed
  perfect
• will have been breezing
  perfect progressive
• will be breezing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of breeze¹

First recorded in 1555–65; earlier brize, brise “north or northeast wind”; compare Dutch bries, East Frisian brîse, French brize, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan brisa, Italian brezza; further origin uncertain

Origin of breeze²

First recorded in 1720–30; variant of dialect brays, from French braise “live coals, cinders”; see braze ²

Explanation

A breeze is a light, cool wind. One of the nicest things about being at the beach on a hot summer day is feeling the gentle breeze off the water. The air that blows your hair around and rustles the leaves is one kind of breeze. Another is the task that's easily completed or the job that is practically effortless: "Your dog is so good, walking him is a breeze!" You can also breeze through something that's simple and fast, like when you breeze through a math test, finishing long before your classmates.

Example Sentences

Should be a breeze as soon as Platner gets through this latest scandal.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

Between the blazing sky and the scorched ground, people do what Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński once observed in another furnace-hot landscape in Africa: devote their energies to "the search for shade and a breeze".

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

But Ms. O’Farrell is often at her best on solid ground, observing a stream as it “flounces” over rocks, or how “a host of flowers trembles” in a spring breeze.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

But there’s at least one corner of the market where higher financing costs are more of a light breeze than a headwind.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Then I was up to my knees in long-distance Dakota wheat fields, a sea of wheat bent by the breeze, halfway to harvest.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• cruise
• glide
• hurry
• sail
• waltz
• zip