breathe

American  

[breeth] / brið /

verb (used without object)

• breathes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• breathed,
  past participle,  past
• breathing
  present participle

1. 

   to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.

2. (in speech) to control the outgoing breath in producing voice and speech sounds.

3. to pause, as for breath or rest.

   How about giving me a chance to breathe?

4. to move gently or blow lightly, as air.

5. to live; exist.

   Hardly a person breathes who has not known great sorrow.

6. to be redolent or suggestive.

   a poem breathing of the sights and sounds of a rustic life.

7. (of a material) to allow air and moisture to pass through easily.

   The jacket is comfortable because the fabric breathes.

8. (of the skin) to absorb oxygen and give off perspiration.

9. (of a wine) to be exposed to air after being uncorked, in order to develop flavor and bouquet.

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verb (used with object)

• breathes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• breathed,
  past participle,  past
• breathing
  present participle

1. to inhale and exhale in respiration.

2. to exhale.

   Dragons breathe fire.

3. to inject as if by breathing; infuse.

   She breathed life into the party.

4. to give utterance to; whisper.

   She breathed a prayer of thanks when everyone escaped the fire unharmed.

5. to express; manifest.

   This coming-of-age novel breathes the torments and joys of adolescence.

   Synonyms:

   divulge, reveal, voice, murmur, tell, utter

6. to allow to rest or recover breath.

   After this next hill, we should breathe the horses.

7. to deprive of breath; tire; exhaust.

8. to cause to pant; exercise.

idioms

1. not breathe a word / syllable, to maintain secrecy; keep a matter confidential.

   I'll tell you if you promise not to breathe a word.

2. breathe one's last, to die.

   He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.

3. breathe freely, to have relief from anxiety, tension, or pressure: Also breathe easily, breathe easy.

   Now that the crisis was over, he could breathe freely.

4. breathe down someone's neck,

   1. to be close to someone in pursuit; menace; threaten.

      Police from four states were breathing down his neck.

   2. to watch someone closely so as to supervise or control.

      If everyone keeps breathing down my neck, how can I get my work done?

breathe British  

/ briːð /

verb

1. to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire

2. (intr) to exist; be alive

   every animal that breathes on earth

3. (intr) to rest to regain breath, composure, etc

   stop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe

4. (intr) (esp of air) to blow lightly

   the wind breathed through the trees

5. (intr) machinery

   1. to take in air, esp for combustion

      the engine breathes through this air filter

   2. to equalize the pressure within a container, chamber, etc, with atmospheric pressure

      the crankcase breathes through this duct

6. (tr) phonetics to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cords Compare voice

7. to exhale or emit

   the dragon breathed fire

8. (tr) to impart; instil

   to breathe confidence into the actors

9. (tr) to speak softly; whisper

   to breathe words of love

10. (tr) to permit to rest

    to breathe a horse

11. (intr) (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate

12. to feel relief

    I could breathe again after passing the exam

13. to stay close to someone, esp to oversee what they are doing

    the cops are breathing down my neck

14. to die or be finished or defeated

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breathe More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing breathe

• as I live and breathe
• breathing space
• not breathe a word

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Usage

Spelling tips for breathe The verb breathe is hard to spell because it is commonly confused with the noun breath, and it only differs by adding a silent e to the end. How to spell breathe: The verb breathe is pronounced [ breeth ] with a long E sound, unlike the noun breath [ breath ]. All that E sound reminds you that there is a final e at the end of breathe.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outbreathe
  verb (used with object)
• prebreathe
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• breathing
  present
• breathed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• breathe
  simple
• breathes
  simple
• have breathed
  perfect
• has breathed
  perfect
• am breathing
  progressive
• are breathing
  progressive
• is breathing
  progressive
• have been breathing
  perfect progressive
• has been breathing
  perfect progressive

Past

• breathed
  simple
• had breathed
  perfect
• was breathing
  progressive
• were breathing
  progressive
• had been breathing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will breathe
  simple
• will have breathed
  perfect
• will be breathing
  progressive
• will have been breathing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of breathe

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English brethe, brethen, breeth, derivative of breath

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Explanation

When you breathe you take air into your lungs and let it out in a regular rhythm. Living things need to breathe to live. This word has several meanings related to living and taking in air. When someone says "As long as I breathe!" they mean "As long as I live!" In music, some silence can let the piece breathe. If you need a moment or room to breathe, you need a break. Wine breathes when it’s uncorked, enhancing its flavor. Breathing life into something gives it new energy. If this explanation has made you nervous, breathe deeply — that helps many people to relax.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breathe breathes breathed breathing

Like Pelland, Shoshanna and Ryan Shapiro also wanted to move closer to their grandkids while still giving their own children space to breathe.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Where the movies are big, loud, overpopulated machines, the TV series are full of interesting ideas, weird notions and good comedy and give their characters room to breathe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

"With the mask, I will have to breathe heavier," the 27-year-old said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

When we reach him, he is in intensive care, struggling to breathe.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

I could hear him starting to breathe hard.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

"We need to draw on the knowledge of the people who once worked here, those who understand how the saltwork breathes," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Funaro, who relies on a wheelchair and breathes with a ventilator, has taken the neighbors to court, his family spending thousands of dollars on a legal battle that has lasted two years and counting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

In the Americas, doctors can help infected people by putting them on a life-support machine known as ECMO, for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which breathes for the patient by oxygenating the blood.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

But the surrounding region lives and breathes Formula One all year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

“Sure! He’s the one who breathes fire when he talks, right?”

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

And he breathed life into a stadium that had a crowd of only 49,104 — short of a sellout.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Before going to sleep, the women placed three drops of oil into a paper cup and breathed in the scent for 10 seconds.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Boeing investors breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after the FAA said the latest 737 MAX software issue wasn’t a safety concern.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Circumstances probably haven’t improved since the end of last year, as the jump in gasoline prices breathed new life into inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

‘Don’t move,’ breathed a voice in Torak’s ear, ‘don’t make a sound, and don’t touch the bones!’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

WSJ | Buy Side: Hatch’s new contactless bedside device tracks your sleep stages, breathing and bedtime habits without a watch or ring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

In February 2025, a relative brought Aurora to an emergency room for asthma, wheezing and difficulty breathing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Alexander disease can interfere with movement, thinking, and automatic bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

The operation is normally carried out under general anaesthetic with the patient breathing through a tube.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

The fumes quickly put surgical patients to sleep, but this ether also had a tendency to stop their breathing completely.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

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