lung

American  

[luhng] / lʌŋ /

noun

• lungs
  plural

1. either of the two saclike respiratory organs in the thorax of humans and the higher vertebrates.

2. an analogous organ in certain invertebrates, as arachnids or terrestrial gastropods.

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idioms

1. at the top of one's lungs, as loudly as possible; with full voice.

   The baby cried at the top of his lungs.

lung British  

/ lʌŋ /

noun

1. either one of a pair of spongy saclike respiratory organs within the thorax of higher vertebrates, which oxygenate the blood and remove its carbon dioxide

2. any similar or analogous organ in other vertebrates or in invertebrates

3. in one's loudest voice; yelling

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lung Scientific  

/ lŭng /

1. Either of two spongy organs in the chest of air-breathing vertebrate animals that serve as the organs of gas exchange. Blood flowing through the lungs picks up oxygen from inhaled air and releases carbon dioxide, which is exhaled. Air enters and leaves the lungs through the bronchial tubes.

2. A similar organ found in some invertebrates.

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lung More Idioms  

1. see at the top of one's lungs.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-lunged
  adjective
• lunged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lungs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lung

before 1000; Middle English lungen, Old English; cognate with German Lunge; akin to light ², lights

Explanation

A lung is an internal organ that makes it possible for you to breathe. Your lungs remove carbon dioxide from your body while sending oxygen into your blood stream. All vertebrates — animals with a spinal column — have lungs. Humans have two of them, and they're what makes your chest rise and fall as you breathe in and out. They're also the organs that keep you breathing, and therefore alive. Lung, by way of the Old English lungen, comes from an Indo-European root that literally means "the light organ."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lung lungs

There are other studies under way in different types of cancer, including bladder cancer, a common form of lung cancer and kidney cancer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The two companies are testing other similar personalised vaccines for lung, bladder and kidney cancers.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Her husband Basianus Cak was being treated on the hospital's third floor for a heart and lung condition and diabetes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Experts later determined she suffered from severe anemia; blood clots in both wings and one kidney; liver and lung abnormalities; and inadequate bone marrow response.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Southside died a month later after having suffered with advanced lung cancer, his long-held view that doctors were untrustworthy having kept him from any sort of timely intervention.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Initial results showed children's lungs in London were smaller in capacity than those in Luton, which is less polluted than London but has a similar mix of pollutants.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Today, the park is Greenville’s heart and lungs, frequented by joggers, walkers and cyclists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The measurement reflects how efficiently the heart, lungs, and muscles work together to deliver and use oxygen.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

“They tell me about how the chemicals make their eyes and their lungs burn. They tell me about how they can’t go outside and they can’t sleep properly. These symptoms are just the beginning.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“How did you—” I started, but my words were choked, and I bent over, hacking hard as the smoke tightened in my lungs.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin