exhale

[eks-heyl, ek-seyl]

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verb (used without object), ex·haled, ex·hal·ing.

to emit breath or vapor; breathe out.

to pass off as vapor; pass off as an effluence.

verb (used with object), ex·haled, ex·hal·ing.

to breathe out; emit (air, vapor, sound, etc.): to exhale a sigh.

to give off as vapor: The engine exhaled steam.

to draw out as a vapor or effluence; evaporate.

Origin of exhale

1350–1400; Middle English exalen < Latin exhālāre, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + hālāre to breathe

Related formsun·ex·haled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for exhale

breathe, emit, vaporize, eject, expel, emanate, respire, evaporate, discharge, issue, steam

Examples from the Web for exhale

Contemporary Examples of exhale

Changing the way you inhale and exhale can help you feel more relaxed, energized, or focused.
How to Master the Art of Breathing
Ari Meisel
April 14, 2014
Then, exhale through a slightly open mouth as you count to four.
How to Master the Art of Breathing
Ari Meisel
April 14, 2014
Like a gangster shooting in a Hays Code era motion picture, the inhale and the exhale are shown in separate shots.
‘Silicon Valley’ and the Return of Stoner Television
Rich Goldstein
April 10, 2014
Mom drew deeply on her cigarette, fingers shaking on the exhale.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’
Eileen Cronin
April 8, 2014
Silently count to five on each inhale and exhale; continue for five to 15 minutes.
5 Healthier Ways to Detox (That Aren’t Juice Cleanses)
DailyBurn
February 20, 2014

Historical Examples of exhale

She only, of the trio, could so exhale her soul in the very perfume of sound.
The Princess Virginia
C. N. Williamson
What a pity that they are as evanescent as the bloom of these flowers and the fragrance they exhale!
Ernest Linwood
Caroline Lee Hentz
To the Little Grey Woman he seemed to exhale youth from every pore.
Once a Week
Alan Alexander Milne
I am soon to exhale from my flesh, like the spirit of a broken flower.
The Ghost
William. D. O'Connor
It seemed to exhale from the land itself, a prolonged sigh as of deep fatigue.
The Octopus
Frank Norris

British Dictionary definitions for exhale

exhale

verb

to expel (breath, tobacco smoke, etc) from the lungs; breathe out

to give off (air, vapour, fumes, etc) or (of air, vapour, etc) to be given off; emanate

Derived Formsexhalable, adjectiveexhalation, noun

Word Origin for exhale

C14: from Latin exhālāre to breathe out, from hālāre to breathe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for exhale

c.1400, from Middle French exhaler (14c.), from Latin exhalare "breathe out, evaporate," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + halare "breathe." Related: Exhaled; exhaling.

exhale in Medicine

exhale

[ĕks-hāl′, ĕk-sāl′]

v.

To breathe out.

To emit a gas, vapor, or odor.