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breathe

[breeth]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR breathe ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

verb (used with object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

Idioms

    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 freely, to have relief from anxiety, tension, or pressure: Now that the crisis was over, he could breathe freely.Also breathe easily, breathe easy.
    breathe one's last, to die: He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.
    not breathe a word/syllable, to maintain secrecy; keep a matter confidential: I'll tell you if you promise not to breathe a word.

Origin of breathe

1250–1300; Middle English brethen, derivative of breath
Related formsout·breathe, verb (used with object), out·breathed, out·breath·ing.pre·breathe, verb (used with object), pre·breathed, pre·breath·ing.
Can be confusedbreadth breath breathe

Synonyms for breathe

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR breathe ON THESAURUS.COM
14. utter, tell, murmur, voice; reveal, divulge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for breathe easy

unwind, recline, soften, calm, repose, rest, tranquilize, laze, unbend, unlax
British Dictionary definitions for breathe easy

breathe

verb

to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire
(intr) to exist; be aliveevery animal that breathes on earth
(intr) to rest to regain breath, composure, etcstop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe
(intr) (esp of air) to blow lightlythe wind breathed through the trees
(intr) machinery
  1. to take in air, esp for combustionthe engine breathes through this air filter
  2. to equalize the pressure within a container, chamber, etc, with atmospheric pressurethe crankcase breathes through this duct
(tr) phonetics to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cordsCompare voice (def. 19)
to exhale or emitthe dragon breathed fire
(tr) to impart; instilto breathe confidence into the actors
(tr) to speak softly; whisperto breathe words of love
(tr) to permit to restto breathe a horse
(intr) (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate
breathe again, breathe freely or breathe easily to feel reliefI could breathe again after passing the exam
breathe down someone's neck to stay close to someone, esp to oversee what they are doingthe cops are breathing down my neck
breathe one's last to die or be finished or defeated

Word Origin for breathe

C13: from breath
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for breathe easy

breathe

v.

c.1300, not in Old English, but it retains the original Old English vowel of its source word, breath. Related: Breathed; breathing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with breathe easy

breathe easy

Also, breathe easily or freely. Relax, feel relieved from anxiety, stress, or tension. For example, Now that exams are over with, I can breathe easy, or Whenever I'm back in the mountains, I can breathe freely again. This idiom originally (late 1500s) was put as breathe again, implying that one had stopped breathing (or held one's breath) while feeling anxious or nervous. Shakespeare had it in King John (4:2): “Now I breathe again aloft the flood.” The variant dates from the first half of the 1800s.

breathe

In addition to the idioms beginning with breathe

  • breathe down someone's neck
  • breathe easy
  • breathe life into
  • breathe one's last

also see:

  • as I live and breathe
  • breathing space
  • not breathe a word
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.