I. ˈhwēz also ˈwēz verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English whesen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hvæsa to hiss; akin to Old English hwǣst action of blowing, Latin queri to complain, Sanskrit śvasiti he breathes, snorts, sighs
intransitive verb
1. : to breathe with difficulty with a usually audible sibilant or whistling sound
went to every doctor and still he coughed and still he wheezed — N.R.Nash
I wheezed asthmatically with my face in the ground — A.R.Matthews
2. : to make a sound resembling that of wheezing especially while moving
the old car jerked and wheezed over the country road
they heard a bullet wheeze about their heads — J.H.Stuart
transitive verb
: to utter with a sound of wheezing
the ancient organ wheezes out its tune
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a sibilant whistling sound caused by difficult or obstructed respiration
unmoving except for the heavy wheeze of his breath — Herbert Gold
a history of wheeze is … significant in any patient presenting a mass in the chest — Journal American Medical Association
b. : a sound similar to a wheeze
the ability to diagnose accurately a wheeze under a hood … on the highway — W.C.Oursler
2.
a.
(1) : a stage joke told by a comedian or clown
if a wheeze clicks at a matinee and an evening show I leave it in — Success Magazine
(2) : such a joke oft repeated and widely known
few plays have ever succeeded in gathering … so many of the old familiar wheezes — Nation
(3) : a practical joke : trick
thought it was just a wheeze of the purser to turn us all out bright and early — Thomas Wood †1950
b. : a trite saying or proverb
the ancient wheeze that Hollywood buys good stories about bad girls and makes them into bad stories about good girls — R.L.Blakesley
the wheeze that in life you get exactly what you give — T.H.Fielding