hyperventilate

American  

[hahy-per-ven-tl-eyt] / ˌhaɪ pərˈvɛn tlˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

hyperventilated, hyperventilating

1. to be afflicted with hyperventilation; breathe abnormally fast and deep.

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verb (used with object)

hyperventilated, hyperventilating

1. to cause (a patient) to breathe more rapidly and deeply than normal.

hyperventilate British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈvɛntɪleɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to breathe in an abnormally deep, long, and rapid manner, sometimes resulting in cramp and dizziness

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Etymology

Origin of hyperventilate

First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from hyperventilation

Explanation

To hyperventilate is to breathe so unusually fast that you feel dizzy or panicked. You might hyperventilate after exercising too hard on a hot day, or because you're anxious about speaking in front of a crowd. When you hyperventilate, your body starts to lose carbon dioxide much faster than normal. This is what causes wooziness or even fainting in people who hyperventilate. There are many reasons for this rapid breathing, including being at a very high altitude, reacting badly to a medication, or just feeling very fearful. Hyperventilate combines the Greek hyper-, "over" or "beyond," and ventilate, from the Latin ventilare, "fan" or "agitate."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hyperventilate hyperventilated hyperventilating

Before some of you hyperventilate, that huge agenda is not what Andy Burnham is likely to argue for on day one.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Charlotte advises me to breathe deeply and try not to hyperventilate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

The game experience at the Duchess was filled with anxious chatter interrupted by loud bursts of joy when the Huskies scored, with the fourth quarter providing tension enough to make Husky fans everywhere hyperventilate.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2024

Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger told him he would hyperventilate if he didn’t control himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2023

When Millard realized it was gone he began to hyperventilate.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Easy: Yesterday, I was not only gripping the armrest but gripping the hand of the flight attendant who was sitting down in the aisle, soothing me as I hyperventilated and wept.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

About one-third of the fatigue patients hyperventilated, while just one person in the control group did.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2025

Spence got down on the floor, speaking calmly as the young woman hyperventilated.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 24, 2023

I haven’t mentioned Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” yet, a hyperventilated ode to cinema undone by its director’s indulgence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2023

Eager now, he hyperventilated a final time, huffing high in the blackness.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

The private saw a woman on the ground hyperventilating and holding a baby as her husband yelled for help.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Wall Street spent Monday hyperventilating about margin hikes on silver traders.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025

Scotland fans were almost hyperventilating when Grant Hanley was named in the team, but the Hibernian centre-back was terrific against Denmark, emblematic of a performance that was disciplined, dogged and occasionally threatening.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025

“You can’t see anything and you are just hoping for the best. I was hyperventilating in the car. My husband was on the phone. He’s like, ‘You can do this,’ ” she recalled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2024

I think I actually began hyperventilating, creating my own microclimate in the backseat, where it was as humid as a rain forest in the Amazon.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith