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breathed

[bretht, breeth d]
adjective Phonetics.
  1. not phonated; unvoiced; voiceless.
  2. utilizing the breath exclusively in the production of a speech sound.
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Origin of breathed

1875–80; breath + -ed3 or breathe + -ed2

breathe

[breeth]
verb (used without object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.
  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; take rest: How about giving me a chance to breathe?
  4. to move gently or blow lightly, as air.
  5. to live; exist: Hardly a man breathes who has not known great sorrow.
  6. to be redolent of.
  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), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.
  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.
  5. to express; manifest.
  6. to allow to rest or recover breath: to breathe a horse.
  7. to deprive of breath; tire; exhaust.
  8. to cause to pant; exercise.
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Idioms
  1. 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?
  2. 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.
  3. breathe one's last, to die: He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.
  4. 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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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

14. utter, tell, murmur, voice; reveal, divulge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

exhaleinhalesighinfuseinjectsnoresniffpantgulprespirefansnortexpiregasppuffwheezescentinsufflateimbuetransfuse

Examples from the Web for breathed

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I breathed freely, and my form seemed to expand itself with buoyant life.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • At the top she breathed a moment and then knocked at a door before her.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • He had breathed into the atmosphere a subtle malaria, and George had caught the disease.

    Life in London

    Edwin Hodder

  • His teeth were set, and he breathed hard, as would a man engaged in a struggle.

  • She had taken the bouquet of violets and breathed the perfume to cool her feverishness.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for breathed

breathed

adjective
  1. phonetics relating to or denoting a speech sound for whose articulation the vocal cords are not made to vibrateCompare voiced
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breathe

verb
  1. to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire
  2. (intr) to exist; be aliveevery animal that breathes on earth
  3. (intr) to rest to regain breath, composure, etcstop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe
  4. (intr) (esp of air) to blow lightlythe wind breathed through the trees
  5. (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
  6. (tr) phonetics to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cordsCompare voice (def. 19)
  7. to exhale or emitthe dragon breathed fire
  8. (tr) to impart; instilto breathe confidence into the actors
  9. (tr) to speak softly; whisperto breathe words of love
  10. (tr) to permit to restto breathe a horse
  11. (intr) (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate
  12. breathe again, breathe freely or breathe easily to feel reliefI could breathe again after passing the exam
  13. breathe down someone's neck to stay close to someone, esp to oversee what they are doingthe cops are breathing down my neck
  14. breathe one's last to die or be finished or defeated
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Word Origin

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 breathed

breathe

v.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with breathed

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
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.