Library / English Dictionary

WHEEZE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Breathing with a husky or whistling sound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("wheeze" is a kind of...):

breathing; external respiration; respiration; ventilation (the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation)

Derivation:

wheeze (breathe with difficulty)

wheezy (relating to breathing with a whistling sound)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(Briticism) a clever or amusing scheme or trick

Example:

a clever wheeze probably succeeded in neutralizing the German espionage threat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("wheeze" is a kind of...):

scheme; strategy (an elaborate and systematic plan of action)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Breathe with difficulty

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "wheeze" is one way to...):

breathe; respire; suspire; take a breath (draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

wheeze (breathing with a husky or whistling sound)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The health of the children was then tracked for five years, the age at which symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing, often first appear.

(Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Asthma Risk in Children by One-Third, VOA)

Signs and symptoms include chest tightness, cough and wheezing.

(Byssinosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, productive cough, and chest tightness.

(Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NCI Thesaurus)

You may need inhaled medicine to open your airways if you are wheezing.

(Acute Bronchitis, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

The health burden of mould has been well studied in Europe, with evidence that exposure is linked with a higher risk of asthma, wheezing and allergic reactions.

(Smoother walls healthier for lungs, SciDev.Net)

Without movement he lay on his back, and he could hear, slowly drawing near and nearer, the wheezing intake and output of the sick wolf's breath.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

It blocks a chemical released during an allergic response that causes itching, sneezing, runny nose, wheezing, and watery eyes.

(Allegra, NCI Dictionary)

A drug used to treat symptoms of asthma, such as trouble breathing, tight chest, wheezing, coughing, and runny nose.

(Montelukast sodium, NCI Dictionary)

A questionnaire designed by the American Thoracic Society that assesses cough, phlegm, wheezing, breathlessness, illness and risk factors.

(ATS-DLD-78 Adult Questionnaire, NCI Thesaurus)

Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and rapid breathing.

(Asthma, NCI Dictionary)