wheeze C2 Topic:Describing People US /ʍiːz/ See IPA manual Freq #40562 Meanings 1 verb To breathe with difficulty, making a whistling or rasping sound. The old dog began to wheeze after climbing the stairs. 2 noun A whistling or rasping sound made when breathing with difficulty. The doctor heard a faint wheeze in the patient's chest. 3 noun A clever or amusing scheme or trick (British, informal). Selling lemonade to the queue was a clever little wheeze. Thesaurus Word family Forms wheezedwheezeswheezing Etymology AI details From Middle English whesen, perhaps from Old Norse hvæsa (“to hiss”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to pant”). whesen Middle English hvæsa Old Norse *ḱwes- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # wheeze **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** verb, noun **IPA (US):** /ʍiːz/ **Frequency rank:** 40562 ## Meanings 1. To breathe with difficulty, making a whistling or rasping sound. 2. A whistling or rasping sound made when breathing with difficulty. 3. A clever or amusing scheme or trick (British, informal). ## Examples - The old dog began to wheeze after climbing the stairs. - The doctor heard a faint wheeze in the patient's chest. - Selling lemonade to the queue was a clever little wheeze. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: whesen - Root: hvæsa - Root: *ḱwes- ## Etymology From Middle English whesen, perhaps from Old Norse hvæsa (“to hiss”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to pant”). ## AI Etymology Wheeze is from Middle English whesen, perhaps from Old Norse hvæsa (“to hiss”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwes- (“to pant”). Important recorded forms include whesen (Middle English), hvæsa (Old Norse), and *ḱwes- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include to breathe with difficulty, making a whistling or rasping sound, a whistling or rasping sound made when breathing with difficulty, and a clever or amusing scheme or trick (British, informal). ## Topics - Describing People - Register & Style markdown