Meaning & use
zephyr
Last updated
UK/ˈzefə(r)/
US/ˈzefər/
Meaning
nouncountableliterary
A soft, gentle breeze, especially one blowing from the west.
Grammar: It is a countable noun, so you can say 'a zephyr' or 'zephyrs'.
Patterns
- a zephyr
- the zephyr
- zephyrs
A warm zephyr drifted through the open window and stirred the curtains.
The sailors welcomed the gentle zephyr that pushed their boat toward the shore.
In the poem, a zephyr whispers secrets to the flowers.
Word forms
| plural | zephyrs |
|---|
Common combinations
- gentle zephyr
- A gentle zephyr cooled the hot afternoon.
- soft zephyr
- The soft zephyr carried the scent of roses.
- warm zephyr
- A warm zephyr blew from the west.
- zephyr of change
- A zephyr of change swept through the old town.
Synonyms and how they differ
- breeze
- Breeze is the everyday word for a light wind; zephyr is more poetic and often suggests a pleasant, gentle wind from the west.
- breath
- Breath can mean a slight movement of air, but it is vaguer and less literary than zephyr.
- gust
- A gust is a sudden, strong rush of wind, much stronger and less gentle than a zephyr.
Opposites
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence? 'A ___ blew softly from the west, barely moving the leaves.'
Choose one answer.
A zephyr is a soft, gentle breeze, which fits the description. A gale, gust, or storm is much stronger and would not 'barely move the leaves'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “zephyr”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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