breeze

¹

[breez]

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.

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.

breeze

²

[breez]

noun

1. cinders, ash, or dust from coal, coke, or charcoal.

2. concrete, brick, or cinder block in which such materials form a component.

breeze

¹

/ 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

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

/ briːz /

noun

1. an archaic or dialect name for the gadfly

breeze

³

/ briːz /

noun

1. ashes of coal, coke, or charcoal used to make breeze blocks

Other Word Forms

• breezeless adjective
• breezelike adjective

Word History and Origins

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”; braze ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of breeze¹

C16: probably from Old Spanish briza northeast wind

Origin of breeze²

Old English briosa , of unknown origin

Origin of breeze³

C18: from French braise live coals; see _braise

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. shoot / bat the breeze, to converse aimlessly; chat.

   We sat around most of the afternoon, just shooting the breeze.

More idioms and phrases containing breeze

• hands down (in a breeze)
• shoot the breeze

Synonym Study

See wind ¹.

Example Sentences

Like a fickle breeze, no sooner does Mr. Winchester get blowing than he changes course.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Instead of creating chaos, the breeze just added a bit of winter character.

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The evening breeze blows through the cracked hatch and tries to push me backward—right back to doing nothing in my best friend’s basement.

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There were vines outside, ropy and twisted and moving in the gusty breeze.

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“If I close my eyes I can see it: the graceful fronds waving in the breeze....”

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Related Words

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