windpipe

IPA/ˈwɪndpaɪp/
IPA/ˈwɪndpaɪp/

windpipe — noun

  • windpipesingular
  • windpipesplural

1. the passage inside your neck that air moves through during breathing, linking th

1.nounB2
Definition

the passage inside your neck that air moves through during breathing, linking the upper throat with the lungs

Example

Anna felt a sharp pain in her windpipe after swallowing too quickly.

A piece of mango got stuck in Otis's windpipe and he started coughing.

collocation: food gets stuck in the windpipe

Common collocations
  • block the windpipe
  • irritate the windpipe
  • clear the windpipe
  • food goes down the windpipe
  • get stuck in the windpipe
Synonyms
  • trachea

    the formal medical term, used by doctors and in scientific writing

  • airway

    a broader term that includes the windpipe plus other breathing passages like the bronchi

Usage Note

The everyday word for the medical term 'trachea'. Used in general conversation rather than in formal medical writing.

Common Mistakes

I swallowed water down the wrong pipe — my windpipe.
I swallowed water down the wrong pipe
my esophagus.' — The windpipe carries air to the lungs; the esophagus is the food pipe that leads to the stomach.

Word family

  • trachea
    nounC1
  • tracheal
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Windpipe is the everyday term for the tube that carries air to the lungs, while trachea is the formal medical equivalent used by doctors and in scientific writing. Airway is a broader term that includes the windpipe plus other breathing passages like the bronchi; paramedics often say 'clear the airway' rather than 'clear the windpipe.' Throat refers to the general area at the front of the neck, which contains the windpipe as well as the esophagus and voice box — so 'a sore throat' describes the whole region, not just the windpipe.

tracheaairway ↗throat ↗

Common collocations

Verbs

Phrases

  • go down the windpipe
  • get stuck in the windpipe

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

A straightforward compound of 'wind' (meaning breath or air) and 'pipe' (a tube). The word has been used since the 16th century as a plain-English alternative to the medical term 'trachea', which comes from Greek.

First known use

1528

1528, in the meaning defined above