Exhale

noun, verb

noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An exhalation.

    "Now have client take slower, normal breaths through the nose and notice how the abdomen moves slightly outward with each inhale and then deflates with each exhale."

Verb
  1. 1
    To expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out. intransitive
  2. 2
    expel air wordnet
  3. 3
    To expel (something, such as tobacco smoke) from the lungs by action of the diaphragm. transitive
  4. 4
    give out (breath or an odor) wordnet
  5. 5
    To pass off in the form of vapour; to emerge. intransitive

    "Above was a tiled roof – though from that imperfect tiling exhaled stench and pestilence."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To emit (a vapour, an odour, etc.). transitive

    "The earth exhales vapor; marshes exhale noxious effluvia."

  2. 7
    To draw out; to cause to be emitted in vapour. transitive

    "The sun exhales the moisture of the earth."

Synonyms

All synonyms
breathe outexpirebreatheemanateoutbreatheaerate

Example

More examples

"The doctor told me to inhale and exhale slowly and deeply."

Etymology

From Middle French exhaler, from Latin exhalare, from ex (“out”) + halare (“to breathe”).

Related phrases

breathe out

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.