- present participle of breathe.
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.
To have them on this song, breathing new life into it and getting to sing the song in Spanish with their instrumentation, they were just incredible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: Hatch’s new contactless bedside device tracks your sleep stages, breathing and bedtime habits without a watch or ring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
He promised to build on the UK's debt reduction plans, which were praised by the IMF, and use the Budget to "provide some breathing space for today, and offer fresh hope for the future".
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Alexander disease can interfere with movement, thinking, and automatic bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Their mouths went dry from breathing in the ash-filled air, and they pulled their shirts up and over their heads to help filter out what particles they could.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
