wheeze
Americanverb (used without object)
-
wheezes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wheezed,
past participle, past
-
wheezing
present participle
-
to breathe with difficulty and with a whistling sound.
Asthma caused him to wheeze.
-
to make a sound resembling difficult breathing.
The old locomotive wheezed into the station.
noun
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wheezes
plural
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a wheezing breath or sound.
-
an old and frequently used joke, saying, story, etc.
verb
-
to breathe or utter (something) with a rasping or whistling sound
-
(intr) to make or move with a noise suggestive of wheezy breathing
noun
-
a husky, rasping, or whistling sound or breathing
-
slang a trick, idea, or plan (esp in the phrase good wheeze )
-
informal a hackneyed joke or anecdote
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wheezesimple
-
wheezessimple
-
have wheezedperfect
-
has wheezedperfect
-
am wheezingprogressive
-
are wheezingprogressive
-
is wheezingprogressive
-
have been wheezingperfect progressive
-
has been wheezingperfect progressive
Past
-
wheezedsimple
-
had wheezedperfect
-
was wheezingprogressive
-
were wheezingprogressive
-
had been wheezingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wheeze
1425–75; late Middle English whese (v.), probably < Old Norse hvæsa to hiss
Explanation
To breathe in a gasping, strained way is to wheeze. You might not know you're allergic to cats until you walk into the house your friend shares with six felines and start to wheeze. A particular raspy, whistling kind of breathing characterizes a wheeze. You might wheeze because you've got a bad cold, or because your asthma is acting up after that half marathon you just ran. It can be scary to wheeze sometimes, because it feels like you're not getting quite as much air as you need with each breath. Wheeze shares a Scandinavian root with the Old Norse hvoesa, "to hiss."
Vocabulary lists containing wheeze
James and the Giant Peach
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Unit 1, Words to Know
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List 9
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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:
If this week shows anything, though, this wheeze, like all such wheezes, has finally sown the seeds of its own obsolescence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Edi Rama does not deny that there is an element of a publicity stunt to his latest wheeze.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
But three days into a string of seven-hour rehearsals, her voice collapsed, the high notes so long her hallmark dissolving into a pitchy wheeze.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2024
“This repertoire — with its contrapuntal extravaganzas, its antiphonal balances, its espousal of instruments that chuff and wheeze and speak directly to a microphone — was made for stereo,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2024
Michael draws in a wheeze of ice-cold air that must be painful.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Such wheezes aren’t the most salient feature of the screenplay, though.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
They communicate through grunts, bellows and wheezes, a form of vocalization that plays a crucial role in the dynamics of the group.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2024
Guitars flutter, an accordion wheezes and a singer unwinds the triumphant tale of Fernando Ochoa Jauregui, a Modesto-area builder of food trucks and trailers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
Whatever cunning wheezes No 10 conjures up, the hole the Conservatives need to climb out of is very deep.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2023
I remember how Mango’s mango-colored wheezes used to be comforting because they meant he was still around.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Their offense has sputtered and wheezed, even as their defense has done its part to keep them in games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Shares in Asia were mostly lower on Monday, with Tokyo the only major regional market to advance, after Wall Street wheezed to more losses with its worst week in six months.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2023
But I’m the kind of person who trained for, and wheezed his way through, a cycling tour of Provence with his dad, but who almost never rode to work.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2023
“I’ve never been that sick,” he wheezed through his thick metal door.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2022
The decrepit window air conditioner wheezed, losing the battle against the mugginess of his living room.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
The review also found an association with wheezing, coughing, poor oral and dental health, poor sleep, mental health problems and eye symptoms.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Symptoms can appear within seconds, and include swelling of the throat, wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Smoke exposure during the fires also took a toll: 40% reported worsening respiratory symptoms, including coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
It’s like the quarterback and homecoming queen losing a popularity contest to a wheezing weirdo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Her voice is steady even if the wheezing is still thick.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
