exhale

[ eks-heyl, ek-seyl ]
See synonyms for: exhaleexhaled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),ex·haled, ex·hal·ing.
  1. to emit breath or vapor; breathe out.

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

verb (used with object),ex·haled, ex·hal·ing.
  1. to breathe out; emit (air, vapor, sound, etc.): to exhale a sigh.

  2. to give off as vapor: The engine exhaled steam.

  1. to draw out as a vapor or effluence; evaporate.

Origin of exhale

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

Other words from exhale

  • un·ex·haled, adjective

Words Nearby exhale

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use exhale in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for exhale

exhale

/ (ɛksˈheɪl, ɪɡˈzeɪl) /


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

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

Origin of exhale

1
C14: from Latin exhālāre to breathe out, from hālāre to breathe

Derived forms of exhale

  • exhalable, adjective
  • exhalation, noun

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