inhale

American  

[in-heyl] / ɪnˈheɪl /

verb (used with object)

inhaled, inhaling

1. to breathe in; draw in by breathing.

   to inhale the polluted air.

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verb (used without object)

inhaled, inhaling

1. to breathe in, especially the smoke of cigarettes, cigars, etc..

   Do you inhale when you smoke?

inhale British  

/ ɪnˈheɪl /

verb

1. to draw (breath) into the lungs; breathe in

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Other Word Forms

• uninhaled adjective

Etymology

Origin of inhale

First recorded in 1715–25; in- ² + (ex)hale

Example Sentences

It was as if she were trying to inhale the education that wafted so casually from my pores.

From Literature

He knew it would be water, not air, that would flood in, and yet his whole body was one suffocating urge to inhale.

From Literature

I listen for a whistle when she inhales, a sign her asthma is acting up, but don’t hear one.

From Literature

The griffin lifted his head and laid it in the crook of Mal’s elbow, and he inhaled her scent.

From Literature

Meadowlark inhales sharply and steps away from me.

From Literature

Related Words

• puff
• smell
• sniff
• snort
• suck in