exhalation

[eks-huh-ley-shuhn, ek-suh-]

noun

1. the act of exhaling.

2. something that is exhaled; vapor; emanation.

exhalation

1. The act of breathing out air. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, causing compression of the lungs and an outward flow of air.

2. Also called expiration

3. Compare inhalation

Word History and Origins

Origin of exhalation¹

1350–1400; Middle English exalacion < Latin exhālātiōn- (stem of exhālātiō ). See exhale, -ation

Example Sentences

At one point you talk about being “cloud makers with every exhalation”.

Read more on Salon

Multiple, overlapping blows of whale exhalations echo off mountains that rise vertically out of glassy water.

Read more on BBC

Their vocal cords did not close, and their abdominal muscles did not contract, as they normally do during exhalation for vocalization.

Read more on Science Daily

While a brick home can resist the powerful exhalation of a wolf, it’s no match for wind-driven rain served up by a wicked storm.

Read more on Seattle Times

In a long exhalation, she sets her dancers free.

Read more on New York Times