wheeze

[ weez, hweez ]

verb (used without object)

, wheezed, wheez·ing.

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.

noun

1. a wheezing breath or sound.
2. an old and frequently used joke, saying, story, etc.

wheeze

/ 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

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

Derived Forms

• ˈwheezer, noun
• ˈwheezy, adjective
• ˈwheezily, adverb
• ˈwheeziness, noun

Other Words From

• wheez·er noun
• wheez·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of wheeze¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wheeze¹

C15: probably from Old Norse hvǣsa to hiss

Example Sentences

The tram cars rattle and wheeze, having not been updated in years.

From BBC

Alesya’s dog really does wheeze when it walks.

From BBC

But three days into a string of seven-hour rehearsals, her voice collapsed, the high notes so long her hallmark dissolving into a pitchy wheeze.

From New York Times

Rumble, wheeze, groan, roar, whoosh, clank, thud, creak and repeat — this, for me, is the onset of bus reverie.

From Los Angeles Times

He swayed back and forth in a rocking motion and made a whistling howl, like that last, dying wheeze of a damp log in a fire.

From Literature

Related Words

• cough
• gasp
• hiss
• puff
• snore