breather
Americannoun
-
a pause, as for breath.
- Synonyms:
- intermission, recess, timeout, break, rest
-
vigorous exercise that causes heavy breathing.
-
a person who breathes.
-
a vent in a container or covering, as in a casing for machinery or in a storage tank, to equalize interior and exterior pressure, permit entry of air, escape of fumes, or the like.
-
a device for providing air from the atmosphere to submerged or otherwise sealed-off persons, internal-combustion engines, etc..
the snorkel breather of a submarine.
noun
-
informal a short pause for rest
-
a person who breathes in a specified way
a deep breather
-
a vent in a container to equalize internal and external pressure, such as the pipe in the crankcase of an internal-combustion engine
-
a small opening in a room, container, cover, etc, supplying air for ventilation
Etymology
Origin of breather
First recorded in 1350–1400, breather is from the Middle English word brethere. See breathe, -er 1
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.
Tech stocks appear poised to recover from Tuesday’s wobble and oil prices are taking a breather after U.S. benchmark crude futures pushed past $100 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Remember how he panicked, refusing even to approach the bench to give his preferred five a breather for a full losing half in Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
Markets seemed to be taking a breather to decide just how risk-on to get—and that’s probably a good thing.
From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026
This is a rare instance when U.S. stock exchanges take a breather on a day that is not a federal holiday.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
What does exist is the paragraph break: a visual bookmark that allows the reader to pause, take a breather, assimilate what he has read, and then find his place again on the page.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
