inhale
Americanverb (used with object)
-
inhales,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inhaled,
past participle, past
-
inhaling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
inhales,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inhaled,
past participle, past
-
inhaling
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
inhalesimple
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inhalessimple
-
have inhaledperfect
-
has inhaledperfect
-
am inhalingprogressive
-
are inhalingprogressive
-
is inhalingprogressive
-
have been inhalingperfect progressive
-
has been inhalingperfect progressive
Past
-
inhaledsimple
-
had inhaledperfect
-
was inhalingprogressive
-
were inhalingprogressive
-
had been inhalingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inhale
Explanation
To inhale is to breathe in. It is the opposite of "exhale," which is to breathe out. When we inhale, we draw air into our lungs through our noses and mouths. Then we exhale, or breathe the air out again. If we do this slowly, as in yoga or meditation, it can be quite relaxing. However, some things like smoke, toxic fumes, or germs might make us sick if we inhale them. And if we accidentally inhale water while we're swimming, it makes us sputter and cough. This is because our lungs are only interested in good, clean air.
Vocabulary lists containing inhale
Inside Out & Back Again
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"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
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American Street
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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:
His staff focus on efforts to prevent illness caused by "the unhealthy air people inhale every day".
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
We inhale and ingest them from almost everything we touch, breathe, eat and drink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
There is a risk of drowning if you inhale water.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
People and animals can inhale them, raising concerns about potential health effects.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026
At the end of the call, we press our noses to the screen and inhale.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
At an Alaskan research station she inhales the scent of oxidizing permafrost: “Pleistocene-aged grass, mammoth bones, and thousands and thousands of years of microbial cells.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
With other hantaviruses, infections occur when a person is exposed to or inhales the dried droppings, urine or saliva of infected rodents.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
"A child playing on the floor inhales even more because the concentrations of particles are greater closer to the ground."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024
Guided by Quintos, the class wraps up the break with three collective inhales and exhales, ending with one deep, audible exhale from the gut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2023
“Let’s say grace and get to eating before Li’l Man inhales the table.”
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
Microfibers can be ingested through food or water but also inhaled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Days after he helped extinguish the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles, Pasadena Fire Captain David Marquez inhaled his first dose of glutathione on the side of the road outside the Rose Bowl stadium.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
When coal dust is repeatedly inhaled over time, it causes scarring in the lungs that makes it difficult to breathe.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
After being inhaled, they can pass from the lungs into the bloodstream and travel to organs throughout the body.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Pond inhaled and forced out a great warm gust.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
On better days, she strolled up to it, even hugging its jagged trunk and inhaling the earthy scent to lift her spirits.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
While handling the moldy dishes, she experienced “stomach pain, a headache and a strange sensation in her nose, which she believed was caused by inhaling the fuzzy mold,” the union’s complaint said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
“If she were inhaling steam that was like 120 degrees Fahrenheit, imagine that in the back of your throat,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Because methylsiloxanes appear to be present almost everywhere in the atmosphere, researchers say people are likely inhaling them continuously.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026
Z, I have a really good feeling about this,” she says, inhaling deep.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
