exhale
Americanverb (used without object)
-
exhales,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhaled,
past participle, past
-
exhaling
present participle
-
to emit breath or vapor; breathe out.
-
to pass off as vapor; pass off as an effluence.
verb (used with object)
-
exhales,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhaled,
past participle, past
-
exhaling
present participle
-
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.
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exhalesimple
-
exhalessimple
-
have exhaledperfect
-
has exhaledperfect
-
am exhalingprogressive
-
are exhalingprogressive
-
is exhalingprogressive
-
have been exhalingperfect progressive
-
has been exhalingperfect progressive
Past
-
exhaledsimple
-
had exhaledperfect
-
was exhalingprogressive
-
were exhalingprogressive
-
had been exhalingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exhale
1350–1400; Middle English exalen < Latin exhālāre, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + hālāre to breathe
Explanation
When you breathe, you inhale and exhale. In other words, you breathe in and out. When you breathe out, you exhale. If you exhale on a cold winter day, your breath looks like smoke in the frigid air. Yoga classes, with their emphasis on breathing, involve a lot of inhaling and exhaling. When you exhale, your lungs push air out, reducing the carbon dioxide in your body and making room for you to inhale oxygen. The Latin root exhalare combines ex, "out," and halare, "breathe."
Vocabulary lists containing exhale
Power Prefix: ex-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Landry News
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Flying to the Moon
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
They lure mosquitoes with carbon dioxide—all vertebrates release the gas with each exhale, so to mosquitoes, it usually signals a meal.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Friedman, however, wasn’t ready to exhale until he got final word from the Tigers during the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Bright, airy and modern, it feels designed to help guests exhale the moment they walk through the door.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
After hugging your relieved family, you’d check your brokerage statement and exhale, figuring that at least nothing had happened to the stock or bond markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
It was more like a long, slow exhale.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
"Cong phew!" exhales the Sun after "Hero Harry" comes "to the rescue".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
When it’s over, Parillo, whose nom de guerre in the competition is Velvet Milkman, exhales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Her husband Yitzhak, tense throughout, finally exhales, then explains that the couple will wait a week before choosing a name.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
When you whisk that nutty, toffee-adjacent warmth into the mix, especially alongside fruit and a streak of citrus zest, the entire batter exhales.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
She exhales, then takes a sip of her coffee.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
“American Patriarch” is a tonic reminder that, from its very beginnings, our republic has exhaled a whiff of the miraculous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The gas was released on maternity units when cannisters were connected, birthing mothers exhaled, and when the equipment was faulty, according to papers filed at the High Court.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
USC exhaled — and proceeded to finish the first quarter on a 16-0 run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026
Patients with asthma, a comorbid disease that frequently occurs along with atopic dermatitis, showed a median 56% reduction in fractional exhaled nitric oxide, a measure of airway inflammation.
From Barron's ● Dec. 8, 2025
Her best friend exhaled, his eyes sliding between the cold rage and a younger hurt.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
“Phew!” the WB execs said, exhaling and wiping their brows.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
If you think no price is too high for reduced emissions, stop exhaling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
By late afternoon, most test-takers walk out of school gates, exhaling with relief and embracing the family members waiting outside.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
This is his cue to begin exhaling, mindful that the amount of air in his lungs will affect the degree to which his body curls and the force he imparts on the snap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024
There was still C02, so the plants hadn't suffocated without me exhaling for them.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
