lung

American  

[luhng] / lʌŋ /

noun

lungs plural

1. either of the two saclike respiratory organs in the thorax of humans and the higher vertebrates.

2. an analogous organ in certain invertebrates, as arachnids or terrestrial gastropods.

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idioms

1. at the top of one's lungs, as loudly as possible; with full voice.

   The baby cried at the top of his lungs.

lung British  

/ lʌŋ /

noun

1. either one of a pair of spongy saclike respiratory organs within the thorax of higher vertebrates, which oxygenate the blood and remove its carbon dioxide

2. any similar or analogous organ in other vertebrates or in invertebrates

3. in one's loudest voice; yelling

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lung Scientific  

/ lŭng /

1. Either of two spongy organs in the chest of air-breathing vertebrate animals that serve as the organs of gas exchange. Blood flowing through the lungs picks up oxygen from inhaled air and releases carbon dioxide, which is exhaled. Air enters and leaves the lungs through the bronchial tubes.

2. A similar organ found in some invertebrates.

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lung More Idioms  

1. see at the top of one's lungs.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-lunged
  adjective
• lunged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lungs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lung

before 1000; Middle English lungen, Old English; cognate with German Lunge; akin to light ², lights

Explanation

A lung is an internal organ that makes it possible for you to breathe. Your lungs remove carbon dioxide from your body while sending oxygen into your blood stream. All vertebrates — animals with a spinal column — have lungs. Humans have two of them, and they're what makes your chest rise and fall as you breathe in and out. They're also the organs that keep you breathing, and therefore alive. Lung, by way of the Old English lungen, comes from an Indo-European root that literally means "the light organ."

Example Sentences

Researchers at King's College London have launched a "Laughter Lab" to explore whether laughing can help people with chronic lung conditions by clearing airways, improving breathing, and boosting wellbeing.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

These therapies have produced major benefits in several cancers, including liver, lung, kidney, and bladder cancers, as well as melanoma.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

Last fall, he started regularly leaving his home in Little Rock Ark., to visit his parents in Azle, Texas, for a week at a time, helping them navigate his mother’s brain and lung cancer.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

Officials have said the main public health concern for those being affected by smoke is fine particles that can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, as well as exacerbate heart and lung conditions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

There is still the conspicuous asymmetry between molecular biology and, say, the therapy of lung cancer.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas