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.

---

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

---

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.

---

lung More Idioms  

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

---

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

Pope Leo XIV held his first public engagement since his lung cancer surgery on Sunday, as he recited the Angelus prayer from the window of Vatican's Apostolic Palace.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

The surgery had taken place just a few days before, after Pope Leo had been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

His doctors said that a chest X-ray indicated "good recovery of the operated lung".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Pope Leo XIV had a "good night" in hospital and has eaten breakfast as he recovers from lung cancer surgery, the Vatican said Thursday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Maybe not. It might live in an insect, and insects don’t have lungs. But you see here how Ebola has adapted to this lung. It’s budding out of the lung, right straight into the air.”

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Among these are tiny microparticles which can penetrate deep into the lungs and, in some cases, enter the bloodstream, causing inflammation, chronic lung diseases and increased risk of premature death.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Hurts has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and a bilateral pulmonary emboli, the statement said, meaning a blood clot has traveled from his legs to his lungs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the nearly 1 million Americans who will get severe blood clots in their veins or lungs each year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Mature macrophages often collect in organs such as the lungs and liver instead of spreading widely throughout the body.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

He closed his eye and, surrounded by the silence of Deadwood, let his undead lungs assume a shallow rhythm.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---