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).
-
Informal. an easy task; something done or carried on without difficulty.
Finding people to join in the adventure was a breeze.
-
Chiefly British Informal. a disturbance or quarrel.
verb (used without object)
-
(of the wind) to blow a breeze (usually used impersonally with it as subject).
It breezed from the west all day.
-
to move in a self-confident or jaunty manner.
She breezed up to the police officer and asked for directions.
-
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)
verb phrase
-
breeze in
-
to win effortlessly.
He breezed in with an election plurality of 200,000.
-
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
-
meteorol a wind of force two to six inclusive on the Beaufort scale
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lyrics to "America" by Stephen Sondheim (1951)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Maybe this is all a cool summer breeze for workers’ wallets.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The 75-year-old farmer's eyes filled with tears as he walked through his orchard in the village of Vosketap, where a breeze from snowcapped Mount Ararat, across the border in Turkey, dispelled the summer heat.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Even with the breeze, it will remain hot across the western half of England and Wales with highs of 26-30C widely, and 31-33C possible in parts of south-east Wales and south-west England through Sunday.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Getting through the first stage was a breeze for the U.S., which won its first two games, collecting six points in group play for the first time since 1930.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
It seemed unbelievable that he was here, safe in the valley, with the grass beneath his feet and the morning breeze in his face.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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 listing adds that the residents of Kula are blessed with “year-round springtime with gentle Pacific breezes and consistently comfortable temperatures.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
"We'll have to monitor those feisty cumulus clouds and potentially a few showers and breezes as well," Mark Burger, the launch weather officer, said Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
Sometimes she could practically smell the sweet Italian breezes, a mix of lemons and flowers and the sea.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
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
Drafted into the Army, he and his brother were so fit that they breezed through basic training.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
England breezed through qualifying, winning all eight games, scoring 22 goals and conceding none to finish comfortably clear at the top of Group K.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
Skenes breezed through the first inning in nine pitches and the first three in 38, dented only by a Junior Caminero home run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
It was illegal to bring all this Western loot into the Soviet Union, but Penkovsky breezed through customs without a search—the goodies were for his bosses, and they made sure he wasn’t bothered.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The company is not afraid of breezing past deadlines.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Previously, most people could get the vaccine, often with no copay, by breezing into a pharmacy while grocery shopping.
From Salon ● May 27, 2025
Far from triumphantly breezing out of Africa, modern humans went extinct many times before going on to populate the world, new studies have revealed.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
Plus she likes reading a book, not a screen, savoring the words, not breezing through content.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
When Doc calls after her and she doesn’t respond before breezing out, he turns to Justyce.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
