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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breathe breathes breathed breathing

But she soon realised she "couldn't breathe properly and should probably go and get it checked out".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Distressed vets administered a glucose injection -- the only option, given that the cause of the ailment remains unknown -- to the 11-year-old male, known as Genghis Khan, who was struggling to breathe.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

The fossil also preserves features on Urokodia's legs that may have served as book gills, allowing the animal to breathe underwater.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

The money would be a reprieve from his healthcare costs and the electrical bills, which his family said have soared with his use of a ventilator to breathe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

I squeeze my eyes shut and count and breathe, count and breathe, before I grab my phone and head out the door.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

Observe how the fabric breathes as she jogs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

The World Health Organization says 99% of the world population breathes in polluted air leading to seven million deaths a year.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

TB is spread through the air when an infected person speaks, coughs or sings and a nearby person breathes in the germs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026

She breathes in the room like somehow she missed it too, the four walls that hold all of Axel’s most precious things.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

People inside the PBOC, I’m told, breathed a sigh of relief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

"We breathed a sigh of relief. God guided us," Islam said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

At last, when Universal Studios began testing the ride this spring, Garner breathed a sigh of relief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Stokes, with head coach Brendon McCullum, breathed life into the team and captured the imagination of the public.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

I haven’t breathed a word to Gran about you being off your trolley, Mr. Fleetwood.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

It then reverses the process, turning the rust back into iron and breathing out oxygen to charge and discharge the battery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Your bank account can’t protect you if you are breathing polluted air or rely on a dysfunctional health care system.”

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

He added that it could mean a "last generation" of children with SMA dealing with mobility, breathing and eating issues in those countries.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

That approach created problems because GlyT1 is common in parts of the brainstem that help control breathing and movement.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

She felt clammy, and her breathing was shallow.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• exhale
• inhale
• sigh