wheeze

American  

[hweez, weez] / ʰwiz, wiz /

verb (used without object)

wheezed, wheezing

1. to breathe with difficulty and with a whistling sound.

   Asthma caused him to wheeze.

2. to make a sound resembling difficult breathing.

   The old locomotive wheezed into the station.

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noun

1. a wheezing breath or sound.

2. an old and frequently used joke, saying, story, etc.

wheeze British  

/ wiːz /

verb

1. to breathe or utter (something) with a rasping or whistling sound

2. (intr) to make or move with a noise suggestive of wheezy breathing

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noun

1. a husky, rasping, or whistling sound or breathing

2. slang a trick, idea, or plan (esp in the phrase good wheeze )

3. informal a hackneyed joke or anecdote

Other Word Forms

• wheezer noun
• wheezily adverb
• wheeziness noun
• wheezingly adverb
• wheezy adjective

Etymology

Origin of wheeze

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

Example Sentences

Seth’s cough had become worse, and after an afternoon smoking fish he’d started to wheeze and spit out green phlegm, but the master did nothing about it.

From Literature

As the school bus wheezes into the Foodland parking lot, I spot a dark fleck high in the sky.

From Literature

The Berserker had seaweed strung through one of his golden earrings, and he was wheezing.

From Literature

I’m proud to say there’s a lot less panting and wheezing than when our Home Guard unit first formed.

From Literature

Her father was having an even harder time breathing now, and she could feel him wheezing.

From Literature

Related Words

• cough
• gasp
• hiss
• puff
• snore