/ wiːz; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
to breathe noisily and with difficulty :
[ v ]
He was coughing and wheezing all night.
[ v speech ]
'I have a chest infection,' she wheezed.
■ noun [ usually sing. ]
1.
the high whistling sound that your chest makes when you cannot breathe easily
2.
( old-fashioned , BrE , informal ) a clever trick or plan
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : probably from Old Norse hvæsa to hiss.