out of breath

Idioms

Breathing with difficulty, panting, gasping. For example, After five flights of stairs I'm out of breath. This slightly hyperbolic term (since literally running out of breath means one is dead) dates from the late 1500s. Also see catch one's breath.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I was out of breath because I was pedaling at my regular cadence, but each stroke had a lot more power.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

AQ points are earned whenever physical activity raises your heart rate enough to make you slightly out of breath.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

The activity needs to be strenuous enough to leave you noticeably out of breath.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

When he arrived for his news conference to look ahead to Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Dutch side Feyenoord, Guardiola was a bit out of breath.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024

The girls were out of breath when they reached the mayor's big yellow house.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023