exhale vs respire

exhale and respire both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
exhale	No	No	Yes	No
respire	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, respire is a hypernym of exhale; that is, respire is a word with a broader meaning than exhale:

Other hypernyms of exhale include breathe, suspire, take a breath.

exhale (verb)	respire (verb)
expel air	draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
give out (breath or an odor)	undergo the biomedical and metabolic processes of respiration by taking up oxygen and producing carbon monoxide
	breathe easily again, as after exertion or anxiety