windpipe

American  

[wind-pahyp] / ˈwɪndˌpaɪp /

noun

1. the trachea of an air-breathing vertebrate.

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windpipe British  

/ ˈwɪndˌpaɪp /

noun

1. a nontechnical name for trachea

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Etymology

Origin of windpipe

First recorded in 1520–30; wind ¹ + pipe ¹

Explanation

Your windpipe is the tube you use for breathing — it connects your larynx to your lungs. Every animal that uses lungs for breathing also has a windpipe. The windpipe is made of cartilage, and it allows air to flow freely in and out of your lungs. If your windpipe becomes inflamed or irritated, you'll cough, and if it's blocked by a wayward chunk of food you may need someone to pound hard on your back or give you the Heimlich maneuver to remove it. The medical term for windpipe is trachea.

Example Sentences

The numbing lidocaine was injected first and sprayed down my windpipe, making me feel as if I were drowning.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Li, who suffers from a genetic degenerative condition that progressively weakens muscles, relies on a ventilator permanently connected to his windpipe to breathe, but grows celery with the help of his 62-year-old mother.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

It entails wrapping both arms around a choking victim from behind, making a fist just over the victim’s navel and thrusting upward sharply five times to eject an object that is obstructing the windpipe.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2023

Intubation, the process of placing a breathing tube into the windpipe - which should only take a few minutes - did not occur for 18 minutes.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2023

So much so, I forced down the barbed lump of betrayal that’d lodged in my windpipe.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• esophagus
• larynx