Meaning & use
diaphragm
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Meanings
nouncountablemedicalbiology
The large dome-shaped muscle under the lungs that moves down and up to draw air in and push it out.
Grammar: Countable and normally singular with the: the diaphragm contracts as you breathe in.
Patterns
- breathe from the diaphragm
- the diaphragm contracts
Singers are taught to support their voices with the diaphragm.
A sudden punch to the stomach can leave the diaphragm temporarily stuck, which is why you feel winded.
Hiccups are caused by sudden spasms of the diaphragm.
nouncountablemedical
A soft flexible dome that a woman places inside her body to block sperm and prevent pregnancy.
Grammar: Countable; people fit or use a diaphragm.
Patterns
- fit a diaphragm
- use a diaphragm
The nurse explained how to insert a diaphragm correctly.
A diaphragm must be the right size, so a doctor has to fit it.
Some women prefer a diaphragm to hormonal methods.
nouncountabletechnical
A thin flexible disc or membrane that vibrates or moves, as in a microphone, speaker, pump or camera lens opening.
Grammar: Countable; it often appears in descriptions of how a device works.
Patterns
- the diaphragm of something
- a vibrating diaphragm
Sound waves make the microphone's diaphragm vibrate.
The pump moves liquid as the rubber diaphragm flexes up and down.
The photographer widened the diaphragm to let more light in.
Word forms
| plural | diaphragms |
|---|
Common combinations
- breathe from the diaphragm
- The coach told us to breathe from the diaphragm, not the chest.
- strengthen the diaphragm
- These exercises strengthen the diaphragm and improve lung capacity.
- diaphragm muscle
- The diaphragm muscle sits just below the ribs.
- a ruptured diaphragm
- The accident left him with a ruptured diaphragm.
- speaker diaphragm
- A torn speaker diaphragm causes a crackling sound.
- diaphragmatic breathing
- Diaphragmatic breathing can help you relax before an exam.
Synonyms and how they differ
- septum
- Septum is any dividing wall of tissue, such as inside the nose, while the diaphragm is the particular muscle sheet separating the chest from the abdomen.
- membrane
- Membrane is a general word for any thin layer of tissue or material, while diaphragm points to a specific muscle or moving disc.
- cap
- Cap is a British term for the contraceptive diaphragm and is not used for the breathing muscle.
Word family
- diaphragmatic adjective
- relating to the diaphragm
- diaphragmatically adverb
- by using the diaphragm
Commonly confused: diaphragm or diagram? diaphragm or diaphanous?
diaphragm vs diagram
A diagram is a simple drawing that explains something. It sounds similar but has nothing to do with the muscle.
diaphragm vs diaphanous
Diaphanous means light and almost see-through, as in diaphanous fabric.
Practice
Which body part moves down when you breathe in?
Choose one answer.
The diaphragm is the muscle beneath the lungs that flattens downward to pull air in. The other organs do not control breathing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “diaphragm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.