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)

breezed, breezing

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)

breezed, breezing

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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Related Words

See wind ¹.

Other Word Forms

• breezeless
  adjective
• breezelike
  adjective

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

You can shop organic food and grow your own tomatoes, but a stiff breeze can blow the Roundup your neighbor sprayed on his lawn directly into your face.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

According to BBC Weather, rain is not forecast in the area until Friday, with Thursday set to bring dry conditions and a moderate breeze.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Things are expected to then cool off a bit Friday due to a stronger sea breeze and partly cloudy skies.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

It is April, my favorite month in the corner of South West England where I live, when the beech woods explode with wild bluebells and the star-headed flowers of wild garlic ripple in the breeze.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The first stars were glittering in the sky and on the warm breeze, the scent of earth and heart berries came to me.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

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