breathe
Take air in and out
To take air into your body through your nose or mouth and let it out again.
to breathe [air/smoke]
- After running up the hill, she had to stop to breathe.
- It was so smoky that he could barely breathe.
- Take a moment to breathe deeply and relax.
- The doctor listened to him breathe through a stethoscope.
- I breathe through my nose.
- She breathes slowly when she sleeps.
- We need air to breathe.
- He can't breathe in the small room.
Pause to relax or recover
To stop for a short time to rest or feel better after work or stress.
to breathe for [a moment/minute]
- Let’s sit down and breathe for a minute before we go on.
- She barely had time to breathe between meetings.
- After the speech, he finally breathed and smiled.
- I need to breathe after running.
- She did not have time to breathe today.
- We stopped to breathe before walking again.
Let air pass through
If something breathes, air can move in and out of it.
[material] breathes well
- Cotton clothing breathes better than polyester.
- This tent fabric breathes, keeping you cool inside.
- Leather shoes don't breathe as much as canvas ones.
- My shirt breathes in hot weather.
- This cloth does not breathe well.
- The tent breathes so we are not too hot.
Speak very quietly
To speak very quietly so that it is almost like a whisper.
to breathe [words]
- She breathed his name into the phone.
- 'Don't go,' he breathed softly.
- He breathed a few words before leaving.
- She breathed his name.
- He breathed, 'I am here.'
- The girl breathed the words quietly.
Show strong quality or feeling
To seem full of a feeling or quality.
to breathe [quality]
- The room breathed peace and comfort.
- Her speech breathed hope into the audience.
- The design breathes elegance and simplicity.
- The house breathes warmth.
- His words breathe hope.
- This place breathes beauty.
- Base: breathe
- 3rd Person Singular: breathes
- Present Participle: breathing
- Past: breathed
breathe a sigh of relief
1Exhale after stress ends
To let out a long breath when you feel safe again after being worried or afraid.
- They all breathed a sigh of relief when the missing child was found.
- I breathed a sigh of relief after hearing I passed the exam.
breathe deeply
1Take slow, full breaths
To take slow, long breaths of air into your lungs and let them out fully.
- Breathe deeply to calm yourself before the test.
- She closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the fresh mountain air.
breathe new life into [something]
1Revitalize with energy or ideas
To make something more lively, interesting, or successful again by giving it energy or new ideas.
- The manager hopes the new project will breathe new life into the company.
- A fresh coat of paint breathed new life into the old house.
don't breathe a word (to someone)
1Keep information secret
To not tell anyone about something that is secret.
- Don't breathe a word about the surprise party.
- She promised not to breathe a word of what she had seen.
take your breath away
1Cause amazement or shock
To greatly surprise or impress someone so much that they feel like they stop breathing for a moment.
- The view from the mountain will take your breath away.
- Her beauty took my breath away.