faint
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- 1 faint、pass out
An everyday expression for fainting or briefly losing consciousness, often because of heat, illness, exhaustion, or shock.
faint、pass out
Describes briefly losing consciousness and possibly collapsing because of a physical condition or a strong shock.
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เธอเป็นลมเพราะอากาศร้อน thəə pen lom phrɔ́ aakàat rɔ́ɔn She fainted because of the heat. เธอเป็นลมเพราะอากาศร้อน details
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เห็นราคาแล้วแทบเป็นลม hěn raakhaa lɛ́ɛw thɛ̂ɛp pen lom I nearly fainted when I saw the price. เห็นราคาแล้วแทบเป็นลม details
Learning notes
Explanation
เป็นลม is formed from เป็น (“to be; to become”) and ลม (“wind; air”), but together they function as a fixed expression meaning “to faint.” It should not be interpreted literally as “to become wind.” เขาเป็นลม means “He fainted.” จะเป็นลม means “to feel about to faint,” while เกือบเป็นลม and แทบเป็นลม mean “to nearly faint.” In casual conversation, it can also be used hyperbolically for an extreme reaction to shock, exhaustion, or a surprisingly high price. This is an extension of the literal idea of fainting, not a separate core sense.
Usage
It is commonly used when someone briefly loses consciousness because of heat, hunger, exhaustion, pain, illness, fear, or shocking news. It is natural in everyday reports, emergencies, and conversations with medical staff. It can also be used casually as an exaggeration for a very strong reaction.
Caution
For ordinary dizziness, use เวียนหัว; for light-headedness or vision going dark, use หน้ามืด. เป็นลม normally implies fainting and losing consciousness. It is not used for an object falling over or for becoming bedridden from illness.
Differences from similar words
1 faint synonyms
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หน้ามืด describes feeling light-headed or having your vision go dark, without necessarily losing consciousness. เป็นลม means actually fainting.
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หมดสติ directly and objectively means “to lose consciousness” or “to be unconscious,” regardless of the cause. เป็นลม is the everyday term for fainting, usually briefly.