Word Study
wheeze
CIDE DICTIONARY
wheeze, v. i. [OE. whesen, AS. hw (cf. Icel. hvæsa to hiss, Sw. hväsa, Dan. hvæse); akin to AS. hw a cough, D. hoest, G. husten, OHG. huosto, Icel. h, Lith. kosti to cough, Skr. k. Husky hoarse.].
To breathe hard, and with an audible piping or whistling sound, as persons affected with asthma. Shak. [1913 Webster]
wheeze, n.
- A piping or whistling sound caused by difficult respiration. [1913 Webster]
- An ordinary whisper exaggerated so as to produce the hoarse sound known as the “stage whisper.” It is a forcible whisper with some admixture of tone. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
wheeze, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. breathe with an audible chesty whistling sound.
2 tr. (often foll. by out) utter in this way.
--n.
1 a sound of wheezing.
2 colloq. a Brit. a clever scheme. b an actor's interpolated joke etc. c a catch-phrase.
--v.
1 intr. breathe with an audible chesty whistling sound.
2 tr. (often foll. by out) utter in this way.
--n.
1 a sound of wheezing.
2 colloq. a Brit. a clever scheme. b an actor's interpolated joke etc. c a catch-phrase.
Derivative
wheezer n. wheezingly adv. wheezy adj. (wheezier, wheeziest). wheezily adv. wheeziness n.
Etymology
prob. f. ON hv{aelig}sa to hiss
THESAURUS
wheeze
Aqua-Lung, antic, artificial respiration, aspiration, assibilate, assibilation, asthmatic wheeze, belly laugh, blow, blue story, break down, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, broken wind, burn out, buzz, caper, collapse, cough, crack up, dirty joke, dirty story, double entendre, droop, drop, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing, ethnic joke, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expel, expiration, expire, exsufflation, faint, fatigue, fizz, fizzle, fizzling, flag, frication, frictional rustling, frolic, fun, funny story, gag, gasp, get tired, give out, good one, good story, grow weary, gulp, hack, hiccup, hiss, hissing, howler, huff, hush, hushing, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, iron lung, jade, jape, jest, jestbook, joke, lark, laugh, lisp, monkeyshine, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, panic, pant, peter out, play, play out, point, poop out, puff, puff and blow, respiration, respire, rhonchus, rib tickler, riot, run down, run out, scream, scuba, shenanigan, shines, shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, sick joke, sidesplitter, siffle, sigh, sight gag, sigmatism, sink, siss, sissing, sizz, sizzle, sizzling, sneeze, sneezing, sniff, sniffle, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, spit, splutter, sport, sputter, squash, squelch, squish, sternutation, stertor, story, succumb, suspiration, swish, tire, trick, visual joke, weary, whish, whisper, whistle, whistling, white noise, whiz, whoosh, wilt, wind, wow, yarn, zipROGET THESAURUS
wheeze
Wind
VB blow, waft, blow hard, blow great guns, blow a hurricane, wuther, stream, issue, respire, breathe, puff, whiff, whiffle, gasp, wheeze, snuff, snuffle, sniff, sniffle, sneeze, cough, fan, ventilate, inflate, perflate, blow up.Sibilation
VB hiss, buzz, whiz, rustle, fizz, fizzle, wheeze, whistle, snuffle, squash, sneeze, sizzle, swish.For further exploring for "wheeze" in Webster Dictionary Online
