breathless
Americanadjective
-
without breath or breathing with difficulty; gasping; panting.
We were breathless after the steep climb.
-
with the breath held, as in suspense, astonishment, fear, or the like.
breathless listeners of the mystery story.
-
causing loss of breath, as from excitement, anticipation, or tension.
a breathless ride.
-
dead; lifeless.
-
motionless or still, as air without a breeze.
a breathless summer day.
adjective
-
out of breath; gasping, etc
-
holding one's breath or having it taken away by excitement, etc
a breathless confrontation
-
(esp of the atmosphere) motionless and stifling
-
rare lifeless; dead
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of breathless
First recorded in 1350–1400, breathless is from the Middle English word brethles. See breath, -less
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.
Breathless pronouncements that things have changed irredeemably and it's now multi-party politics forever have been made and proven wrong before.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague," streaming on Netflix from November 14, charts how young French director Jean-Luc Godard defied all filmmaking convention to create his 1960 classic "Breathless."
From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025
Two years before, Madonna had gone big band to double-platinum success with her album “I’m Breathless,” which accompanied her role as Breathless Mahoney in Warren Beatty’s Hollywood adaptation of “Dick Tracy.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2023
Breathless headlines claimed they had created a deadly new strain, and the National Institutes of Health rebuked the university for not seeking the government’s permission.
From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2022
You come across a whole platoon of Breathless Ones in the forest sometimes, I’ve heard.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
