out of breath


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.

Words Nearby out of breath

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use out of breath in a sentence

  • “It was super fun,” says a slightly out-of-breath 10 year-old Samuel Feller after three laps on the track.

    A Flying Bike? | Lauren Ashburn | September 6, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • "I'm glad to see you, Mrs. Meadowsweet," said Mrs. Butler, in a slightly out-of-breath tone.

    The Honorable Miss | L. T. Meade
  • At last she appeared: an out-of-breath Bobinette, and somewhat flustered.

    A Nest of Spies | Pierre Souvestre