INHALING Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

inhaling

verb

present participle of inhale

as in devouring

to swallow or eat greedily inhaled the doughnuts so quickly that you would have missed it if you blinked

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of inhaling Over time, inhaling these irritants can trigger chronic airway inflammation, irreversible lung tissue scarring, and obstructive pulmonary conditions. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Without a mask, without fear of needing lung implants, without having to worry about inhaling a soupçon of strychnine or similar industrial pollutants. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026 But some people abuse it by inhaling it to feel relaxed or euphoric. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026 Tottenham attempted to offload Bissouma last summer, and the club later initiated another internal investigation after an image leaked of Bissouma inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon again. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 And viral trends like the cinnamon challenge can cause potential injury by accidentally inhaling the powder. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 The process would be similar to inhaling allergy medicine via a nasal spray. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026 And in the summer working, caring for the garden, cultivating my plants, my food, inhaling the sun, seeing my skin become brown just as the flowers are also growing their colours, and my beloved garden plants are delivering their brilliant food. — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026 More studies are showing the wide-ranging negative health impacts of inhaling wildfire smoke, which is especially toxic when blazes tear through urban areas and burn up household appliances, batteries and chemicals. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhaling

Verb

That money has helped keep the medical bills from devouring the Griffins' emergency savings.

— Stephanie O'Neill, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
Just like today’s tentacled ocean dwellers, the Mesozoic squid ancestor likely had no problem devouring its relatives—or even members of its own species.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of devouring

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inhales

inhaling

in hand

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“Inhaling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhaling. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of inhaling

verb

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