wheeze
wheeze Lexical Profile
wheeze Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A whistling, rattling, or rasping sound made in the chest while breathing, typically caused by a narrowing or obstruction of the airways.
"The pediatrician listened closely to the child's chest and detected a faint wheeze."
British A clever scheme, trick, or ploy, or anoften-repeated joke.
"Offering free samples outside the station turned out to be a brilliant marketing wheeze."
• verb
To breathe with difficulty while producing a whistling or rattling sound in the chest.
"The cold winter air always makes him wheeze after a brisk run."
To utter words or make a sound with a rasping, whistling, or breathless quality (of a person or a mechanical device).
"The old bus wheezed to a halt at the top of the steep hill."
• Rhymes for wheeze
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English whesen, probably of Scandinavian origin and akin to Old Norse hvaesa ('to hiss'), ultimately imitative of the sound of labored breathing.