Inhale

/ɪnˈheɪl/

verbBeginner📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

To breathe air, smoke, or a scent into your lungs.

/ɪnˈheɪl/

verbneutralBeginner
General

To breathe in.

She inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh mountain air.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're smelling a delicious cookie. When you take a big sniff, you're inhaling! It's like sucking in air or a smell.

👶 For kids: To take air into your body through your nose or mouth.

More Examples

2

The firefighter inhaled smoke while rescuing the people.

How It's Used

Medical

"The doctor instructed the patient to inhale deeply."

Everyday

"I inhaled the fresh scent of rain on the hot pavement."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

From Middle English *inhālen*, from Old French *inhaler* (“to breathe in”), from Latin *inhālō* (“to breathe in”), from *in-* (“in”) + *hālō* (“to breathe”).

Used since the late 14th century, primarily in medical and descriptive contexts related to breathing.

Memory tip

Think of 'in' + 'hale' (like 'hale' in 'breathe').

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"in (into) + breathe"

deeply inhaleslowly inhaleinhale deeplyrapidly inhaleto inhale

Common misspellings

inhailinhaleing

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written