breathing
Americannoun
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the act of a person or other animal that breathes; respiration.
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a single breath.
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the short time required for a single breath.
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a pause, as for breath.
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utterance or words.
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a gentle moving or blowing, as of wind.
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Classical Greek Grammar.
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the manner of articulating the beginning of a word written with an initial vowel sign, with or without aspiration before the vowel.
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one of the two symbols used to indicate this.
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noun
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the passage of air into and out of the lungs to supply the body with oxygen
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a single breath
a breathing between words
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an utterance
a breathing of hate
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a soft movement, esp of air
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a rest or pause
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phonetics
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expulsion of breath ( rough breathing ) or absence of such expulsion ( smooth breathing ) preceding the pronunciation of an initial vowel or rho in ancient Greek
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either of two symbols indicating this
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of breathing
First recorded in 1350–1400, breathing is from the Middle English word brethynge. See breathe, -ing 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.
People usually become infected by breathing in air contaminated with virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Short-term exposure to acrolein by inhalation can cause nose and throat irritation and a decreased breathing rate.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
They may have then spread Andes virus to others through breathing shared air or other close contact in close quarters.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
Rao negotiated a capital infusion that kept Airbnb afloat: a $1 billion deal from Sixth Street Partners and Silver Lake that gave the company crucial breathing room.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
He was breathing heavily, and his legs were not, Christopher saw, steady under him.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
