wheezy

[ hwee-zee, wee- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

, wheez·i·er, wheez·i·est.

Origin of wheezy¹

First recorded in 1810–20; wheeze + -y ¹

If you startle a pigeon, you’ll hear a wheezy whistle as it flaps away.

He seemed on the verge of running out of breath, nearly wheezy.

The wheezy, crazy mechanism of the car went to bits in unexpected places.

He spoke in a wheezy, solemn monotone, from which all elements of life and joy seemed to have been eliminated.

With a wheezy sputter, it stopped dead, refusing to answer the frantic twists Perry gave the handle-bars.

We sang a lusty hymn together, accompanied on the little, wheezy, dining-room organ.

Among these, two made themselves prominent by their peculiarity: one was a very strong bass, the other a wheezy thin piping.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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