: a chronic lung disorder that is marked by recurring episodes of airway obstruction (as from bronchospasm) manifested by labored breathing accompanied especially by wheezing and coughing and by a sense of constriction in the chest, and that is triggered by hyperreactivity to various stimuli (such as allergens or rapid change in air temperature)
Examples of asthma in a Sentence
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Sanofi has been clear-eyed about the need to offset the patent expiry of its blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent, which currently accounts for more than a third of sales and will lose key patents by early 2030s.
—
Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Hormones like progesterone and estrogen impact immune responses and inflammation in the airways, which can trigger symptoms for the first time or make existing asthma more severe.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 13 Feb. 2026
There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
But what interested her was why the same rhinovirus infection unleashed severe asthma attacks and other life-threatening symptoms for some people but barely registered as a sniffle for others.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
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Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Hormones like progesterone and estrogen impact immune responses and inflammation in the airways, which can trigger symptoms for the first time or make existing asthma more severe.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 13 Feb. 2026
There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
But what interested her was why the same rhinovirus infection unleashed severe asthma attacks and other life-threatening symptoms for some people but barely registered as a sniffle for others.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for asthma
Cite this Entry
“Asthma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asthma. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
asthma
noun
asth·ma
ˈaz-mə 
: a condition that is marked by difficulty in breathing with wheezing, a feeling of tightness in the chest, and coughing
Medical Definition
asthma
noun
asth·ma
ˈaz-mə
: a chronic lung disorder that is marked by recurring episodes of airway obstruction (as from bronchospasm) manifested by labored breathing accompanied especially by wheezing and coughing and by a sense of constriction in the chest, and that is triggered by hyperreactivity to various stimuli (as allergens or rapid change in air temperature)
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