hyperventilate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of hyperventilate
First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from hyperventilation
Explanation
To hyperventilate is to breathe so unusually fast that you feel dizzy or panicked. You might hyperventilate after exercising too hard on a hot day, or because you're anxious about speaking in front of a crowd. When you hyperventilate, your body starts to lose carbon dioxide much faster than normal. This is what causes wooziness or even fainting in people who hyperventilate. There are many reasons for this rapid breathing, including being at a very high altitude, reacting badly to a medication, or just feeling very fearful. Hyperventilate combines the Greek hyper-, "over" or "beyond," and ventilate, from the Latin ventilare, "fan" or "agitate."
Vocabulary lists containing hyperventilate
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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:
Before some of you hyperventilate, that huge agenda is not what Andy Burnham is likely to argue for on day one.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Charlotte advises me to breathe deeply and try not to hyperventilate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
On the flight to Guadalajara, Negrete’s heart raced and he began to hyperventilate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
The game experience at the Duchess was filled with anxious chatter interrupted by loud bursts of joy when the Huskies scored, with the fourth quarter providing tension enough to make Husky fans everywhere hyperventilate.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
Rowan found himself getting light-headed, and realized he was beginning to hyperventilate.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Easy: Yesterday, I was not only gripping the armrest but gripping the hand of the flight attendant who was sitting down in the aisle, soothing me as I hyperventilated and wept.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
After their Game 7 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, I was so spent that I hyperventilated for what felt like an hour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
About one-third of the fatigue patients hyperventilated, while just one person in the control group did.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2025
Spence got down on the floor, speaking calmly as the young woman hyperventilated.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
Her chest expanded unnaturally, too quickly, and collapsed just as unnaturally as JoJo hyperventilated her.
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks are not in a bubble: Many market commentators are hyperventilating about tech stocks being a bubble.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
If you’re hyperventilating at this point, calm down.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
Everyone else’s alarm may be reflected in Alicent’s quiet hyperventilating with her eyes frozen wide with horror and disillusionment as she finally grasps her total powerlessness.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2024
Jamie, from Llangynog, Wales, said he remembered "hyperventilating" when he learned of his brother's death.
From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2024
As Brooklyn tried to keep from hyperventilating, Sydney used her flashlight to see how far the wall stretched and discovered it continued into the darkness well beyond the reach of her beam.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
