breeze
1 Americannoun
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a wind or current of air, especially a light or moderate one.
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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)
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breezes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
breezed,
past participle, past
-
breezing
present participle
verb phrase
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breeze in
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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
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cinders, ash, or dust from coal, coke, or charcoal.
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concrete, brick, or cinder block in which such materials form a component.
noun
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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
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informal a disturbance, esp a lively quarrel
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informal to chat
verb
-
to move quickly or casually
he breezed into the room
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(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
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have breezedperfect
-
has breezedperfect
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am breezingprogressive
-
are breezingprogressive
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is breezingprogressive
-
have been breezingperfect progressive
-
has been breezingperfect progressive
Past
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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:
Every night, when summer heat and blackouts make sleep impossible at home, Cubans head for rooftops, porches and public spaces where they can catch a breeze.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
You might breeze through or be stuck in line for a few hours, sometimes on the same trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The day was in the low 70s, and a breeze was coming through our kitchen window; I decided I would not mind standing at the stove long enough to coax the squash toward sweet collapse.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
That means the afternoon sea breeze that typically helps cool down conditions, especially in coastal areas, is warmer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
As the light started to fade and a breeze furrowed the surface of the lake, I saw a sudden movement in the water and heard a breathy sound.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Add to that hurricanes and ferocious lightning caused by humidity from ocean breezes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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
Over the next few days, ocean breezes will die down and the beaches will heat up.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
It had a different quality from other breezes, just as the silvery air was different from the harsh light of noon.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
And a colleague breezed through new biometric gates in a touchless lane in Newark this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Super Giants then breezed to the target under the floodlights as Seifert and Paul Walter dismantled the Sunrisers attack with some explosive hitting.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“That is very good!” she called as she breezed past.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 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
He was taking mostly electives, and he breezed through them with ease.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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 after that, the Phillies didn’t put another runner aboard until the seventh, with Snell breezing through the next 12 batters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 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
It is like a window has been opened and memories are breezing through it.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
