lung
Americannoun
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either of the two saclike respiratory organs in the thorax of humans and the higher vertebrates.
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an analogous organ in certain invertebrates, as arachnids or terrestrial gastropods.
idioms
noun
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either one of a pair of spongy saclike respiratory organs within the thorax of higher vertebrates, which oxygenate the blood and remove its carbon dioxide
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any similar or analogous organ in other vertebrates or in invertebrates
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in one's loudest voice; yelling
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Either of two spongy organs in the chest of air-breathing vertebrate animals that serve as the organs of gas exchange. Blood flowing through the lungs picks up oxygen from inhaled air and releases carbon dioxide, which is exhaled. Air enters and leaves the lungs through the bronchial tubes.
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A similar organ found in some invertebrates.
Other Word Forms
- half-lunged adjective
- lunged adjective
Etymology
Origin of lung
before 1000; Middle English lungen, Old English; cognate with German Lunge; akin to light 2, lights
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The waistband was high enough to give crush his lungs, but that didn't stop him recreating the video's fluid, technically-challenging choreography on stage.
From BBC
His lungs took months to recover, and he permanently lost the use of his right arm.
From BBC
After the crash the pregnant woman had to undergo an emergency Caesarean section, leaving her premature baby in intensive care for a number of weeks, when she suffered two collapsed lungs.
From BBC
She moved next to the burrow’s door, took a deep breath, and let out a bone-chilling scream at the top of her lungs.
From Literature
I closed my eyes, puffed out my chest, and sucked my lungs full of that fresh-scented air.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
