To inhale means to breathe in, drawing air into your lungs. When you inhale deeply before blowing out birthday candles, you're filling your lungs with as much air as possible. When a doctor asks you to inhale during a checkup, she wants you to take a breath in so she can listen to your lungs working.

Your body inhales automatically thousands of times each day without you thinking about it. The air you inhale contains oxygen, which your blood carries to every cell in your body to keep you alive and energized. After your body uses that oxygen, you exhale, breathing out air that now contains carbon dioxide.

People sometimes inhale things besides plain air. You might inhale the smell of cookies baking or the scent of flowers in a garden. Athletes learn to inhale steadily through their noses during exercise to maintain their energy. Swimmers must carefully time when they inhale, grabbing quick breaths between strokes.

The opposite of inhale is exhale, meaning to breathe out. Together, these two actions make up the breathing cycle that keeps you alive every moment of every day.