Meanings
present singular third person exhales · participle present exhaling · participle past exhaled · past exhaled
- intransitiveTo expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out.
Synonyms: outbreathe, breathe out, expire
- transitiveTo expel (something, such as tobacco smoke) from the lungs by action of the diaphragm.
Synonyms: outbreathe, breathe out, expire
- intransitiveTo pass off in the form of vapour; to emerge.
Above was a tiled roof – though from that imperfect tiling exhaled stench and pestilence.
2008, Gregor Dallas, Metrostop Paris, John Murray, published 2009, page 91 more example
Passengers on the earliest railway services would not even have enjoyed the luxury of a platform, instead having to step up onto the waiting open top wagons, where they would experience a journey that left many choking on the plumes of smoke exhaled by the leading locomotive.
2025 July 9, Oliver Wheeler, “Action stations...”, in RAIL, number 1039, page 68 - transitiveTo emit (a vapour, an odour, etc.).
The earth exhales vapor; marshes exhale noxious effluvia.
1 more example
Leſs fragrant Scents th' unfolding Roſe exhales, / Or Spices breathing in Arabian Gales.
1715, [Alexander] Pope, The Temple of Fame: A Vision, London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 29 - transitiveTo draw out; to cause to be emitted in vapour.
The sun exhales the moisture of the earth.
plural exhales
- 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.
2009, David A. Clark, Aaron T. Beck, Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: Science and Practice
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo expel air from the lungs through the nose or mouth by action of the diaphragm, to breathe out.
verbTo expel (something, such as tobacco smoke) from the lungs by action of the diaphragm.
antonym(s) of “expel (transitive)”
antonym(s) of “breathe out (intransitive)”
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinexhalare
- Middle Frenchexhaler
- Englishexhale
From Middle French exhaler, from Latin exhalare, from ex (“out”) + halare (“to breathe”).
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans uitasem
- uitasemto breathe out
Ancient Greek ἐκπνέω
- ἐκπνέω (ekpnéō)to breathe out
Arabic زَفَرَ
- زَفَرَ (zafara)to breathe out
Bulgarian изди́швам, изди́шам
- изди́швам (izdíšvam)to breathe out
- изди́шам (izdíšam)to breathe out
Catalan exhalar, expirar
- exhalarto expel from the lungs
- expirarto expel from the lungs
Chinese Mandarin 呼出
- 呼出 (hūchū)to breathe out
Czech vydechovat, vydechnout
- vydechovatto breathe out
- vydechnoutto breathe out
Danish ånde ud
- ånde udto breathe out
Dutch uitademen
- uitademento breathe out
Finnish hengittää ulos, huokua
- hengittää ulosto breathe out
- huokuato pass off in the form of vapour
- huokuato emit vapour, odour, etc.
- haihduttaato cause to be emitted in vapour
- hengittää ulosto expel from the lungs
French expirer
- expirerto breathe out
German ausatmen
- ausatmento breathe out
Greek εκπνέω
- εκπνέω (ekpnéo)to breathe out
Hebrew נָשַׁף
- נָשַׁף (nasháf)to breathe out
Irish asanálaigh, easanálaigh
- asanálaighto breathe out
- easanálaighto breathe out
- asanálaighto expel from the lungs
Italian espirare, esalare
- espirareto breathe out
- esalareto emit vapour, odour, etc.
- esalareto expel from the lungs
Japanese 息を吐く
- 息を吐く (iki o haku)to breathe out
Korean 내쉬다
- 내쉬다 (naeswida)to breathe out
Latin exhālō
- exhālōto breathe out
Māori whakahā, puha
- whakahāto breathe out
- puhato breathe out
Norwegian Bokmål puste ut
- puste utto breathe out
Polish wydychać
- wydychaćto breathe out
Portuguese exalar, expirar
- exalarto breathe out
- expirarto breathe out
Romanian expira
- expirato breathe out
Russian выдыха́ть, вы́дохнуть
- выдыха́ть (vydyxátʹ)to breathe out
- вы́дохнуть (výdoxnutʹ)to breathe out
Scottish Gaelic sèid
- sèidto breathe out
Slovak vydychovať, vydýchnuť
- vydychovaťto breathe out
- vydýchnuťto breathe out
- uvoľňovaťto emit vapour, odour, etc.
- vydýchnuťto expel from the lungs
- vydychovaťto expel from the lungs
Spanish espirar, exhalar
- espirarto breathe out
- exhalarto breathe out
Swedish andas ut
- andas utto breathe out
Thai หายใจออก
- หายใจออก (hǎai-jai-ɔ̀ɔk)to breathe out
Turkish nefes vermek
- nefes vermekto breathe out
Ukrainian видиха́ти, ви́дихнути
- видиха́ти (vydyxáty)to breathe out
- ви́дихнути (výdyxnuty)to breathe out
Welsh anadlu allan, allanadlu
- anadlu allanto breathe out
- allanadluto breathe out
- anadlu allan (rhywbeth)to expel from the lungs
Yiddish אויסאָטעמען
- אויסאָטעמען (oysotemen)to breathe out
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with exhale
Cite this entry
exhale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exhale
“exhale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exhale. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exhale,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exhale.
Source: exhale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.