apnea
Americannoun
-
apneas
plural
-
a temporary suspension of breathing, occurring in some newborns and adults during sleep.
-
asphyxia; suffocation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of apnea
First recorded in 1710–20; from New Latin apnoea, from Greek ápnoia, from ápno(os) “breathless” (from a- a- 6 + pno-, variant stem of pneîn “to breathe” + -os, adjective suffix) + -ia -ia
Explanation
Apnea is a disorder that causes you to stop breathing briefly, often while you're asleep. One symptom of this kind of apnea is excessive snoring. The most common type of apnea is "sleep apnea," which affects both adults and children and can result in as many as 30 breathless episodes per night. Many people with this kind of apnea don't know they have it. Scientifically, any instance of not breathing is considered apnea — whether you're holding your breath or being choked. The Greek root of apnea is apnos, "without breathing," from a-, "not," and pnein, "to breathe."
Vocabulary lists containing apnea
National Nurses Week: Medical Branches and Conditions
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Body Eclectic: Words For Common Physical Functions
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Daughter of the Deep
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
But, importantly, the program doesn’t cover the medication for patients who’d be eligible for a GLP-1 under existing Medicare Part D benefits—for conditions like Type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and fatty liver disease.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Until this week, Medicare only covered GLP-1 drugs for conditions like Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and stroke or heart-attack risk.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Prior to publication, the White House, the FDA, and the Department of Health and Human Services all wouldn’t answer directly whether this applicant with “refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension” was Trump.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
He wondered whether sleep apnea might be to blame.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
Berkner suggests that there may have been cycles of oxygen production and carbon dioxide consumption, depending on relative abundances of plant and animal life, with the ice ages representing periods of apnea.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Particularly common in premature babies, apneas are a leading cause of prolonged hospitalization and potentially death.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2023
"When placed on the suprasternal notch, the enhanced ability to detect and classify apneas could lead to more targeted and personalized care, improved outcomes and reduced length of hospitalization and costs," Shalish said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2023
We have thus shown that our breathing during sleep reflects how we breathe in our dreams; the periods spent underwater corresponded to remarkable apneas of the sleepers!
From Scientific American ● Jun. 5, 2023
We need our tracheas to stay open while we recline, lest we suffer apneas and struggle to breath during slumber.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2022
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.
