inhale
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inhalesimple
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inhalessimple
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have inhaledperfect
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has inhaledperfect
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am inhalingprogressive
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are inhalingprogressive
-
is inhalingprogressive
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have been inhalingperfect progressive
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has been inhalingperfect progressive
Past
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inhaledsimple
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had inhaledperfect
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was inhalingprogressive
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were inhalingprogressive
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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:
We inhale and ingest them from almost everything we touch, breathe, eat and drink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Did he inhale too deeply the vapors of power?
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Other humans could then inhale the particles or come into contact with them on the surface of objects.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
"You mainly inhale oxygen and nitrogen so most of the time the amazing colours come from the same gas you're breathing in," Wild says.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
It was during these quiet hours that he could find perspective or inhale new information, adding data points to the vast mental map he carried around.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The large orange oblong zone “represents areas that are immediately dangerous to life and health, where it would cause injury if anybody inhales or is impacted by the product in question.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
First, hantavirus is a family of viruses that typically spreads to humans from rodent droppings or urine such as when someone inhales particles near infected rodents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 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
“Let’s say grace and get to eating before Li’l Man inhales the table.”
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
He inhaled it in a few days, and then reread it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
If inhaled at high levels, these fumes can aggravate a person’s lungs, causing coughing, wheezing and chest tightness.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
When it is inhaled, through smoking or in industrial settings, it can cause lung cancer, according to the World Health Organization.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Dr. Paudel, a visiting scholar in the UTS Faculty of Engineering, is also studying how inhaled microplastics may affect lung health.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026
I yanked my head out of the mud and wiped furiously at my face as I spat out the mucky mouthful I’d almost inhaled.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
“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
Most often, people become infected with these viruses by inhaling aerosolized urine or droppings from infected rodents.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
She remembered trailing behind her grandmother cutting roses in her garden, lugging bucketfuls of flowers and inhaling the sweetness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
But due to the health risks from inhaling asbestos, the importation of blue and brown asbestos has been banned in the UK since 1985.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
She’s off the machine now and trying to stay focused on inhaling, getting little sips of air.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
