breathing

American  

[bree-thing] / ˈbri ðɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or other animal that breathes; respiration.

2. a single breath.

3. the short time required for a single breath.

4. a pause, as for breath.

5. utterance or words.

6. a gentle moving or blowing, as of wind.

7. Classical Greek Grammar.

   1. the manner of articulating the beginning of a word written with an initial vowel sign, with or without aspiration before the vowel.

   2. one of the two symbols used to indicate this.

---

breathing British  

/ ˈbriːðɪŋ /

noun

1. the passage of air into and out of the lungs to supply the body with oxygen

2. a single breath

   a breathing between words

3. an utterance

   a breathing of hate

4. a soft movement, esp of air

5. a rest or pause

6. phonetics

   1. expulsion of breath ( rough breathing ) or absence of such expulsion ( smooth breathing ) preceding the pronunciation of an initial vowel or rho in ancient Greek

   2. either of two symbols indicating this

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unbreathing
  adjective
• breathingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of breathing

First recorded in 1350–1400, breathing is from the Middle English word brethynge. See breathe, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Obstructive sleep apnea causes repeated pauses in breathing throughout the night.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

But no candidate ever had much more than a paltry 20% support; for all the heavy breathing, the race was always pretty much a multi-candidate tie.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

For weeks, growing optimism for a swift peace deal had provided breathing room for a Wall Street frenzy over memory chips.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

"There is a blanket of dust all day from all the mining and stone crushing," said Subhash Saini, whose brother died from what private doctors said was silicosis, an illness caused by breathing in dust.

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

I can hear Mila breathing deeply in the bed beside mine.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• respiratory