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The act of breathing out air. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, causing compression of the lungs and an outward flow of air.
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Also called expiration
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Compare inhalation
Etymology
Origin of exhalation
1350–1400; Middle English exalacion < Latin exhālātiōn- (stem of exhālātiō ). See exhale, -ation
Compare meaning
How does exhalation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
The inhalations and exhalations of twelve people made a soft, sighing wheeze in the otherwise soundless room.
From Literature
Typical features include frequent deep sighs, rapid breathing, forceful exhalation from the abdomen, or chest breathing without proper diaphragm use, which prevents the lungs from fully expanding.
From Science Daily
At one point you talk about being “cloud makers with every exhalation”.
From Salon
Multiple, overlapping blows of whale exhalations echo off mountains that rise vertically out of glassy water.
From BBC
Their vocal cords did not close, and their abdominal muscles did not contract, as they normally do during exhalation for vocalization.
From Science Daily
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.