oxygen debt
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of oxygen debt
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
"Physiological recovery from oxygen debt is more protracted, complex, and occurs over much longer timescales than previously understood, with the elevated heart rate on land likely helping to support a delayed recovery," concluded Walker.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
Initially it was thought that this energy, which we call “excess postexercise oxygen consumption,” was a replacement for oxygen debt.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 24, 2021
They throw themselves over the boards, skate themselves into oxygen debt, then sit down and watch their sweat freeze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2016
Intense muscle activity results in an oxygen debt, which is the amount of oxygen needed to compensate for ATP produced without oxygen during muscle contraction.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
"I believe it would be an asset for the game because they do get into oxygen debt and then struggle to make good decisions."
From The Guardian ● Dec. 2, 2010
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.
