breeze
1 Americannoun
-
a wind or current of air, especially a light or moderate one.
-
a wind of 4–31 miles per hour (2–14 meters per second).
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Informal. an easy task; something done or carried on without difficulty.
Finding people to join in the adventure was a breeze.
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Chiefly British Informal. a disturbance or quarrel.
verb (used without object)
-
breezes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
breezed,
past participle, past
-
breezing
present participle
-
(of the wind) to blow a breeze (usually used impersonally with it as subject).
It breezed from the west all day.
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to move in a self-confident or jaunty manner.
She breezed up to the police officer and asked for directions.
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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)
-
breezes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
breezed,
past participle, past
-
breezing
present participle
verb phrase
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breeze in
-
to win effortlessly.
He breezed in with an election plurality of 200,000.
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Also breeze intoout. to move or act with a casual or careless attitude.
He breezed out without paying attention to anyone.
-
-
breeze up to become windy.
idioms
noun
-
cinders, ash, or dust from coal, coke, or charcoal.
-
concrete, brick, or cinder block in which such materials form a component.
noun
-
a gentle or light wind
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meteorol a wind of force two to six inclusive on the Beaufort scale
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informal an easy task or state of ease
being happy here is a breeze
-
informal a disturbance, esp a lively quarrel
-
informal to chat
verb
-
to move quickly or casually
he breezed into the room
-
(of wind) to blow
the south wind breezed over the fields
noun
noun
Synonym Usage
See wind 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
breezesimple
-
breezessimple
-
have breezedperfect
-
has breezedperfect
-
am breezingprogressive
-
are breezingprogressive
-
is breezingprogressive
-
have been breezingperfect progressive
-
has been breezingperfect progressive
Past
-
breezedsimple
-
had breezedperfect
-
was breezingprogressive
-
were breezingprogressive
-
had been breezingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing breeze
"Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou
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"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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Lyrics to "America" by Stephen Sondheim (1951)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s no shortage of cabinet storage or counter space, and a pass-through window connects the room to an outdoor patio, making hosting and cleanup a breeze.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Fletcher also said he is worried the ban on concrete, breeze block and brick walls does not cover all levels of the game and wants that explored urgently by the authorities.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
It was based on the profile picture of the couple’s shared Facebook account, but Walters had swapped out palm trees for three Christian crosses and the American flag rippling in the breeze.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
One man was spotted riding his cricket bat like a hobby horse toward the dunes, slapping his backside in the breeze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
A warm breeze floats in through the open truck window, carrying with it the scent of fresh bread, fire-roasted tomatoes, and Lady Rizzo’s famous Parmesan-basil-garlic sauce, and my stomach rumbles.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Southern California’s dry summers typically exist because of its land-to-sea breezes in the morning and sea-to-land breezes in the afternoon, according to meteorologist Kristan Lund of the weather service’s Oxnard office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"They are just amazed" by the daytime high temperatures under 30C and sea breezes, as well as the lack of crowds compared to tourist hotspots in southern Europe.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
This can help to intensify future heatwaves on land by reducing the cooling effect from sea breezes.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
He shows up at tournaments, breezes through the field, then flies to the next one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
The sky is getting cloudy, and some strong breezes come our way, but no drops of rain yet.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
A friend visited Thursday and says she breezed right in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“That is very good!” she called as she breezed past.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Carlo Ancelotti's side breezed past Haiti to leapfrog the Scots in Group C on Saturday.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
People who arrived very early breezed through the toll booths, and even those who showed up after 9 a.m. said they waited only about 15 to 30 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Then she said goodbye and breezed out the door, leaving us in silence with a light sweet scent of tangerines.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
But, breezing along at 80 mph, I couldn’t hear the engine start nor could I feel it running.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The company is not afraid of breezing past deadlines.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
And she has certainly caught the eye at Wimbledon, seeing off 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the first round and then breezing past Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025
Previously, most people could get the vaccine, often with no copay, by breezing into a pharmacy while grocery shopping.
From Salon ● May 27, 2025
When Doc calls after her and she doesn’t respond before breezing out, he turns to Justyce.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
