hyperventilate

verb

hy·​per·​ven·​ti·​late ˌhī-pər-ˈven-tə-ˌlāt 

hyperventilated; hyperventilating; hyperventilates

intransitive verb

: to breathe rapidly and deeply : undergo hyperventilation

Did you know?

Hyperventilating can be a response to fear and anxiety. A test pilot who panics and hyperventilates faces a dangerous situation. When the level of carbon dioxide in your blood goes down and the oxygen level goes up, blood vessels constrict because of the chemical changes and the body can't get enough oxygen (even though it's there in the blood), and the pilot can become lightheaded and may even faint. To guard against this, pilots are taught to control their breathing. On the ground, the usual remedy for hyperventilation is breathing into a paper bag, which raises the level of carbon dioxide and restores normal breathing.

Synonyms

• blow
• gasp
• heave
• pant
• puff
• wheeze

Examples of hyperventilate in a Sentence

The boy panicked and began hyperventilating.

he was so nervous he began hyperventilating, and the extra oxygen made him dizzy

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, too, this is the same man who grew up on pastoral Oregon farmland, pushing himself on pre-dawn lifts, who nearly hyperventilated in the shower before one freshman-year playoff game at Crescent Valley. —Luca Evans, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025

Anyhow, Rose continues to get more and more upset and nearly starts hyperventilating. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 18 Feb. 2025

That makes Trump and Musk the center of the national conversation — and baits hyperventilating critics into outrageous responses. —Axios, 13 Feb. 2025

People ran pell-mell outside, sped away in cars with no clear destination, went to church, or just phoned the police or radio station to hyperventilate. —Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hyperventilate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Medical Definition

hyperventilate

verb

hy·​per·​ven·​ti·​late -ˈvent-ᵊl-ˌāt 

hyperventilated; hyperventilating

intransitive verb

: to breathe rapidly and deeply : undergo hyperventilation

some swimmers hyperventilate

transitive verb

: to subject to hyperventilation

he hyperventilated his lungs by deep breathing