hyperventilate

American  

[hahy-per-ven-tl-ayt] / 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

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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

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

And they speak darkly of “helmet horrors” when they hyperventilate and feel close to suffocation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2023

When Millard realized it was gone he began to hyperventilate.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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

When Diggins won gold in South Korea, NBC’s announcer nearly hyperventilated on the air.

From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2024

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

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

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

After a while the entire house seemed to be hyperventilating.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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