1
a
: one of the usually paired compound saccular thoracic organs that constitute the basic respiratory organs of an air-breathing vertebrate
b
: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2
a
: a device enabling individuals abandoning a submarine to rise to the surface
b
: a mechanical device for regularly introducing fresh air into and withdrawing stale air from the lung : respirator compare iron lung
Examples of lung in a Sentence
He filled his lungs with the clean. fresh air.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary had brought her mother, who had suffered multiple mental-health crises, to live with the family; Phyllis then fell ill with metastatic lung cancer, and Mary served as her caretaker.
—
Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
In 2020, Indiana had a lung cancer rate of 72.5 per 100,000 people, with Lake County as one of the state’s counties with the highest cancer mortality rates, according to the American Lung Association.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Stay physically active: Regular exercise can help strengthen your lungs and improve your respiratory health.
—Lindsay Curtis, Health, 12 Apr. 2025
Her husband, Kevin Reynolds, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2025
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Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
In 2020, Indiana had a lung cancer rate of 72.5 per 100,000 people, with Lake County as one of the state’s counties with the highest cancer mortality rates, according to the American Lung Association.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Stay physically active: Regular exercise can help strengthen your lungs and improve your respiratory health.
—Lindsay Curtis, Health, 12 Apr. 2025
Her husband, Kevin Reynolds, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lung
Cite this Entry
“Lung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lung. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lung
noun1
a
: one of the usually paired organs forming the special breathing structure of vertebrates that breathe air
b
: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2
: a device (as an iron lung) to promote breathing and make it easier
Medical Definition
lung
noun1
a
: one of the usually two compound saccular organs that constitute the basic respiratory organ of air-breathing vertebrates, that normally occupy the entire lateral parts of the thorax and consist essentially of an inverted tree of intricately branched bronchioles communicating with thin-walled terminal alveoli swathed in a network of delicate capillaries where the actual gaseous exchange of respiration takes place, and that in humans are somewhat flattened with a broad base resting against the diaphragm and have the right lung divided into three lobes and the left into two lobes
b
: any of various respiratory organs of invertebrates
2
: a mechanical device for regularly introducing fresh air into and withdrawing stale air from the lungs : respirator see iron lung
lunged
adjective
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