exhale

American

[eks-heyl, ek-seyl] / ɛksˈheɪl, ɛkˈseɪl /

verb (used without object)

exhaled, exhaling

to emit breath or vapor; breathe out.
to pass off as vapor; pass off as an effluence.

verb (used with object)

exhaled, exhaling

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.

exhale British

/ ɛksˈheɪl, ɪɡˈzeɪl /

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

"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

Other Word Forms

exhalable adjective
exhalation noun
unexhaled adjective

Etymology

Origin of exhale

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

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.

I heaved him out with a quiet exhale, then stopped several yards away from my door.

From Literature

Theo is leaning against the wall, forehead pressed against the wallpaper, the muscles in his back working as he exhales all the air from his body.

From Literature

The fall in oil prices on Tuesday has given traders a moment to "exhale", but energy markets remain in a state of "total tug-of-war", said Alberto Bellorin from oil and gas investment firm InterCapital Energy.

From BBC

I dug my elbows into the table and focused on inhaling—then exhaling.

From Literature

For many Americans, retirement is supposed to be a financial exhale.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023