Word parts
What it means
The part of each breath when air leaves the lungs. At rest it is passive: the diaphragm relaxes and the lungs spring back. During exercise or with lung disease, muscles of the abdomen and chest help push the air out. Exhalation is also called expiration. Its opposite is inhalationin-huh-LAY-shunBreathing in; also, a way of giving a drug as a mist or powder that is breathed into the lungs.in- inhal breathe-ation the act ofFull entry .
For the nurse
Teach pursed-lip breathing to clients with COPD: breathe in through the nose and out slowly through pursed lips, taking about twice as long to breathe out as in. A long expiratory phase with wheezing suggests narrowed airways.
At a glance
| Spanish | exhalación, espiración |
|---|---|
| Also written | exhaled, exhaling |
Easy to confuse with
inhalation
Breathing in; also, a way of giving a drug as a mist or powder that is breathed into the lungs.
Related terms
respiration
Breathing air in and out, and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air, the blood and the cells.
inhalation
Breathing in; also, a way of giving a drug as a mist or powder that is breathed into the lungs.
ventilation
Air moving in and out of the lungs as a person breathes.
bronchospasm
A sudden tightening of the muscles around the airways that narrows them.