wheeze
verb
\ ˈhwēz
, ˈwēz\
, ˈwēz\
wheezed;
wheezing
Definition of wheeze
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to breathe with difficulty usually with a whistling sound
2
: to make a sound resembling that of wheezing
the bellows wheezed
wheeze
nounDefinition of wheeze (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a sound of wheezing
2a
: an often repeated and widely known joke used especially by entertainers
b
: a trite saying or proverb
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Synonyms for wheeze
Synonyms: Verb
blow, gasp, heave, hyperventilate, pant, puff
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Examples of wheeze in a Sentence
Verb
He was up all night hacking and wheezing. The car's motor wheezed and stalled.Noun
Between gasps and wheezes, he tried to explain what had happened. the wheeze of an engine We can count on him for a good wheeze.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Special economic zones and tax reform are among the wheezes his wonks propose. — The Economist, "Guatemala’s president-elect promises “sufficient testosterone”," 15 Aug. 2019 As the living, wheezing Ailes, Crowe carries the weight in different styles, to vary the mood. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "“The Loudest Voice” Eviscerates Roger Ailes and Fox News," 30 June 2019 With VanVleet blanketing Curry like a cornerback on a wide receiver, the Warriors’ attack wheezed, pushing its scoreless stretch to more than 5½ minutes. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "What the Raptors’ Game 2 box-and-one zone says about the Warriors," 4 June 2019 In Hell’s Kitchen on Manhattan’s West Side, kids are indeed learning to play the bagpipes—wheezing their way through traditional marches, jigs and hornpipes. — Anne Kadet, WSJ, "Bagpipes or Urdu? After-School Options Multiply," 23 Oct. 2018 In the wee hours of the medieval night, a monk begins to wheeze and cry in fear. — Veronique Greenwood, Scientific American, "How Gene Expression Runs on a Clock--And What It Means for Medical Treatments," 19 June 2018 In the nadir of the 1970s, choked by smog regulations and forced to contend with unleaded gasoline, manufacturers built massive V8s that wheezed. — Blake Z. Rong, Popular Mechanics, "The Evolution of the Combustion Engine," 5 June 2018 Choppy ice conditions kept causing pucks to wobble, a product of 90-degree temperatures outside (and not hot air wheezed by blowhards whining about an expansion team’s success). — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "Golden Knights, Capitals Provide Game 1 Cup Final Spectacle Fitting for Vegas," 29 May 2018 And on his new download-only Mdou Moctar Meets Elite Beat in a Budget Dancehall (Boomarm Nation), his trebly electric-guitar leads thread a leisurely path through elastic reggae beats, wheezing organ, and rhythmically huffed flute. — Bill Meyer, Chicago Reader, "The stylistic range of Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar runs as deep as the communal roots of his music," 25 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
But while the category recognized such hard rock leading lights as Metallica and Jane's Addiction, the award ended up going to Crest of a Knave, the 16th album from prog-rock wheeze kids Jethro Tull. — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, "60 Grammys, 60 Moments: The Greatest Moment From Every Grammys Ceremony So Far," 26 Jan. 2018 The answer is not, as is suggested now, including by some at National Review, ‘a return to congressional government.’ That is a fraud and merely the latest wheeze of the never-Trumpers. — Conrad Black, National Review, "As the Mockery Dwindles," 6 Sep. 2017 The new performances up the intensity, which is only further heightened by the nasty rasp and sinister wheeze that age has visited upon Lunch’s voice. — Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "Postpunk chanteuse Lydia Lunch sounds more vital than ever fronting the career-spanning Retrovirus," 13 July 2017 Or is this all just a teenage wheeze to escape boredom? — Tony Lacy-thompson, The Mercury News, "Eight short plays add up to a fine time at the theater," 18 May 2017 Perhaps the best known of these was the John Birch Society, founded in 1958 as a dying wheeze of McCarthyism. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, "His Kampf," 14 May 2017 The coughs to clear my throat became involuntary and more violent, with the whistling rattle of a wheeze. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, "How to Beat Asthma," 5 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wheeze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for wheeze
wheeze
verb
English Language Learners Definition of wheeze
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to breathe loudly and with difficulty
: to make a sound like a person who is breathing with difficulty
wheeze
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of wheeze (Entry 2 of 2)
: the sound made by a person who is having difficulty breathing or a similar sound : the sound of wheezing
British, informal
: a clever idea or joke
See the full definition for wheeze in the English Language Learners Dictionary
wheeze
verb
\ ˈhwēz
, ˈwēz\
, ˈwēz\
wheezed;
wheezing
Kids Definition of wheeze
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to breathe with difficulty and usually with a whistling sound
2
: to make a whistling sound like someone having difficulty breathing
wheeze
nounKids Definition of wheeze (Entry 2 of 2)
: a whistling sound like that made by someone having difficulty breathing
wheeze
intransitive verb