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
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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:
Did he inhale too deeply the vapors of power?
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
There is a risk of drowning if you inhale water.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 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
The stores are packed on weekends with teens who inhale frozen yogurt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
He trapped fireflies in matchboxes so he would not inhale them in his sleep.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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
When it goes sideways, the kid inhales deeply, trains a hard glare on Asher, and says, “I curse you.”
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2023
I’m watching him and can’t tell what he’s thinking, but then he stops at the frontal view and inhales sharply as he raises a hand to his mouth.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
He inhaled it in a few days, and then reread it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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
While these approaches worked, they raised safety concerns because the materials can be dangerous if inhaled during manufacturing.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026
Football leans on tradition, providing convenient cover for the NFL’s lenient stance on smelling salts, ammonia crystals that players believe enhance performance when inhaled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
Now he rushed out of the outhouse and inhaled fresh air, rubbing the areas that still tickled from the flies.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
The hopes of finding them alive were fading fast, since people can survive only so long trapped beneath the rubble without water while inhaling suffocating dust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
While washing food can remove most of the chemicals, direct exposure from inhaling Roundup while it’s sprayed on crops likely carries a much higher risk.
From Salon ● May 1, 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
When the tacos arrive, I try to eat them slowly, but end up inhaling them with desperation.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
