breathless
Americanadjective
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without breath or breathing with difficulty; gasping; panting.
We were breathless after the steep climb.
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with the breath held, as in suspense, astonishment, fear, or the like.
breathless listeners of the mystery story.
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causing loss of breath, as from excitement, anticipation, or tension.
a breathless ride.
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dead; lifeless.
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motionless or still, as air without a breeze.
a breathless summer day.
adjective
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out of breath; gasping, etc
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holding one's breath or having it taken away by excitement, etc
a breathless confrontation
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(esp of the atmosphere) motionless and stifling
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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.
Twenty-five years ago, the exhibition “Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People” attempted to raise Rockwell to the status of master, and drew breathless acclaim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Within a decade she was “Gloria-Steinem-the-antiwar-gorgeous- bachelor girl who was pictured with Henry Kissinger in Time and Life…,” according to a breathless 1970 account in the Los Angeles Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Christopher and Anya’s adventures unspool at a breathless pace as they hop from island to island, dueling with pirates, trespassing among giants and competing in a deadly street race featuring some of Glimouria’s nastier creatures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
It reminds me of how, recently, my younger sister — deep in the trials and tribulations of planning her wedding look — called me sounding breathless and almost conspiratorial.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Paris had been spellbound by breathless Mona Lisa coverage.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
