hyperventilate

American  

[hahy-per-ven-tl-eyt] / ˌhaɪ pərˈvɛn tlˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

hyperventilated, hyperventilating

1. to be afflicted with hyperventilation; breathe abnormally fast and deep.

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verb (used with object)

hyperventilated, hyperventilating

1. to cause (a patient) to breathe more rapidly and deeply than normal.

hyperventilate British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈvɛntɪleɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to breathe in an abnormally deep, long, and rapid manner, sometimes resulting in cramp and dizziness

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hyperventilate hyperventilated hyperventilating

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

It was already well past six o’clock at this point and I was beginning to hyperventilate when it hit me: I had the number to an expert hair-doer-upper.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

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

ENGOSHURA, Kenya — John Quindos wailed and hyperventilated so violently that officials rushed him to a first aid station.

From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2019

Eager now, he hyperventilated a final time, huffing high in the blackness.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

The private saw a woman on the ground hyperventilating and holding a baby as her husband yelled for help.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks are not in a bubble: Many market commentators are hyperventilating about tech stocks being a bubble.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Another witness told OnScene.TV that another family member was evacuated after she started hyperventilating and her blood pressure spiked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 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

I pick up the pace, and Hector giggles as if a horseback ride from a horse that’s hyperventilating is the best kind ever.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden