breathe
Americanverb (used without object)
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to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.
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(in speech) to control the outgoing breath in producing voice and speech sounds.
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to pause, as for breath or rest.
How about giving me a chance to breathe?
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to move gently or blow lightly, as air.
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Hardly a person breathes who has not known great sorrow.
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to be redolent or suggestive.
a poem breathing of the sights and sounds of a rustic life.
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(of a material) to allow air and moisture to pass through easily.
The jacket is comfortable because the fabric breathes.
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(of the skin) to absorb oxygen and give off perspiration.
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(of a wine) to be exposed to air after being uncorked, in order to develop flavor and bouquet.
verb (used with object)
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to inhale and exhale in respiration.
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to exhale.
Dragons breathe fire.
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to inject as if by breathing; infuse.
She breathed life into the party.
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to give utterance to; whisper.
She breathed a prayer of thanks when everyone escaped the fire unharmed.
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This coming-of-age novel breathes the torments and joys of adolescence.
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to allow to rest or recover breath.
After this next hill, we should breathe the horses.
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to cause to pant; exercise.
idioms
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not breathe a word / syllable, to maintain secrecy; keep a matter confidential.
I'll tell you if you promise not to breathe a word.
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breathe one's last, to die.
He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.
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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.
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breathe down someone's neck,
verb
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to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire
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(intr) to exist; be alive
every animal that breathes on earth
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(intr) to rest to regain breath, composure, etc
stop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe
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(intr) (esp of air) to blow lightly
the wind breathed through the trees
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(intr) machinery
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to take in air, esp for combustion
the engine breathes through this air filter
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to equalize the pressure within a container, chamber, etc, with atmospheric pressure
the crankcase breathes through this duct
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(tr) phonetics to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cords Compare voice
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to exhale or emit
the dragon breathed fire
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(tr) to impart; instil
to breathe confidence into the actors
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(tr) to speak softly; whisper
to breathe words of love
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(tr) to permit to rest
to breathe a horse
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(intr) (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate
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to feel relief
I could breathe again after passing the exam
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to stay close to someone, esp to oversee what they are doing
the cops are breathing down my neck
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to die or be finished or defeated
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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breathesimple
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breathessimple
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have breathedperfect
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has breathedperfect
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am breathingprogressive
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are breathingprogressive
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is breathingprogressive
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have been breathingperfect progressive
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has been breathingperfect progressive
Past
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breathedsimple
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had breathedperfect
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was breathingprogressive
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were breathingprogressive
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had been breathingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of breathe
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English brethe, brethen, breeth, derivative of breath
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.
Vocabulary lists containing breathe
List 2
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Sonnet 18
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 4
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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.
See Examples For:
Then, she says, thick black smoke filled the classroom: "I couldn't even see the pupils I was holding in my arms. We couldn't breathe."
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
People need to “slow down and breathe and look at what they’re doing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“I take a piece of writing and a character, real or imagined, and research as much as I can, and then imagine it and try and breathe life into a person,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Marine mammals can also suffer even though they breathe air at the surface.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
I could hear him starting to breathe hard.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
David Raya fastens his gloves and breathes out.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
But the surrounding region lives and breathes Formula One all year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
When a person breathes in the TB germs, they settle in the lungs and can spread through the blood to other parts of the body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
"The last thing we want to do is cut his development because he's such a talent. He lives and breathes football. That's his life," added Arteta.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
She breathes a sigh of relief when the device is back in her hands.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
At last, when Universal Studios began testing the ride this spring, Garner breathed a sigh of relief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Deborah said her daughter did not just play for the badge, but "lived and breathed" for Sheffield United.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Seacrest transformed the property in 2024, teaming up with architectural designer Silvia Nobili of Nobili Marques Arquitectura to carry out a significant renovation that breathed new life into the space.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
He stepped to the line and breathed deep in the face of a deafening Knicks crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Without stopping to wonder why, Jack breathed deeply, the air never having tasted quite so good.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
“The only thing you should be breathing into your lungs is clean air,” Hill says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The Johns Hopkins researchers studied miniature models of the hindbrain, a region at the back of the skull that helps control essential functions such as breathing, sleep and heart rate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
"Falling inflation is news families want to hear but there is much more to do to give people the breathing space they need," said newly appointed finance minister John Healey.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
However, Bremen, who took the helm at the central bank in late 2025, has some breathing room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the silence that followed, Mary’s labored breathing seemed especially loud.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
