zephyr
noun
a gentle, mild breeze.
zephyr
American
[zef-er]
/ ˈzɛf ər /
noun
-
zephyrs
plural
-
a gentle, mild breeze.
-
(initial capital letter) the west wind.
-
any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.
zephyr
British
/ ˈzɛfə /
noun
-
a soft or gentle breeze
-
any of several delicate soft yarns, fabrics, or garments, usually of wool
Zephyr
Cultural
Synonym Usage
See wind 1.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of zephyr
First recorded before 1000 zephyr for def. 2; Middle English, from Latin zephyrus, from Greek zéphyros “the west wind”; replacing Middle English zeferus, zephirus, Old English zefferus, from Latin as above
Explanation
Besides being the name of Babar's monkey friend in the much-beloved picture books about the elephant Babar, a zephyr is a gentle breeze. In Greek mythology, Zephuros was the god of the west wind, and the bringer of light and early spring breezes. Zephyr derives from his name. That first day of spring, where suddenly you don't have to wear your jacket to school for the first time all winter? Thank the zephyr for that.
Vocabulary lists containing zephyr
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Indulge yourself with handcrafted, artisanal, small-batch chocolates, including yuzu pâte de fruit, sesame crunch, honey ganache and cinnamon zephyr ganache flavors.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
Needless to say, if you just want breeze through life, make the Zero Breeze* your personal zephyr TODAY!
From Golf Digest ● Jun. 27, 2017
“Arrival” Anthony Lane reviewed the movie: “What lingers from this alien encounter is neither the wizardry nor the climax but the zephyr of emotional intensity that blows through the film.”
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 24, 2017
The once-soft air is now an ever-sturdier wall; any gentle zephyr a gale, volatile and tricky.
From The Verge ● Feb. 9, 2016
“I thought, last year, that I loved you—but that was as a zephyr to a gale, compared to this engulfing, enveloping worship of now,” she wrote.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
That uncertainty is by design, according to Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham University law professor.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
They started their Amtrak trek in Burlington, Vt., on Saturday, enjoying a holiday parade in Schenectady, N.Y., and renting e-bikes in Chicago before we all boarded the California Zephyr Sunday afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
The movie stars Hassie Harrison as Zephyr, a solitary surfer who explains in on-the-nose dialogue that she prefers the danger of open water to the unhappiness of life on land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
“Now you have machine learning trained on identifying the desperation index of workers,” Zephyr Teachout, a professor of law at Fordham University, told me.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2024
When we reached him, he took my arm and whispered in my ear so Zephyr couldn’t hear: “Now it’s my turn,” he said.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
If we had wind chimes, it would’ve been a Lollapalooza monsoon of surly zephyrs all the livelong night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Fang’s “Padre, germani, addio!” was an early highlight, and her voice — deceptively delicate and deeply expressive — seemed to rise atop the zephyrs of “Zeffiretti lusinghieri.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 13, 2022
Short and stout pattypan are as cute as buttons; slender, two-toned zephyrs look like their bottoms have been dipped in green dye; pale green chayote could be mistaken for pears at first glance.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2021
It is made for the Gulf of Bothnia and the alleyways of Jokkmokk and the lethal zephyrs of Njörðr.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2018
I shall fade away like a blossom that zephyrs waft from the tree before it can become fruit.
From Only a Girl: or, A Physician for the Soul. by Wilhelmine von Hillern
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.
