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wheeze

[ weez, hweez ]
/ wiz, ʰwiz /
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See synonyms for: wheeze / wheezing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), wheezed, wheez·ing.
to breathe with difficulty and with a whistling sound: Asthma caused him to wheeze.
to make a sound resembling difficult breathing: The old locomotive wheezed into the station.
noun
a wheezing breath or sound.
an old and frequently used joke, saying, story, etc.
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Origin of wheeze

1425–75; late Middle English whese (v.), probably <Old Norse hvæsa to hiss

OTHER WORDS FROM wheeze

wheez·er, nounwheez·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wheeze in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wheeze

wheeze
/ (wiːz) /

verb
to breathe or utter (something) with a rasping or whistling sound
(intr) to make or move with a noise suggestive of wheezy breathing
noun
a husky, rasping, or whistling sound or breathing
British slang a trick, idea, or plan (esp in the phrase good wheeze)
informal a hackneyed joke or anecdote

Derived forms of wheeze

wheezer, nounwheezy, adjectivewheezily, adverbwheeziness, noun

Word Origin for wheeze

C15: probably from Old Norse hvǣsa to hiss
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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