catch one's breath
Idioms-
Resume normal breathing after physical exertion of some kind, as in These stairs are steep; wait a minute till I catch my breath . This phrase once meant the same as hold one's breath —that is, stop breathing momentarily—a usage no longer current. [Early 1800s]
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Relax, take a rest, as in Events have been moving so fast I'd like to stop and catch my breath . [First half of 1900s]
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.
No breaks, barely time to catch one’s breath.
From Seattle Times • May 7, 2023
The sculpture symbolises the emergence from the pandemic and a moment to catch one's breath.
From BBC • May 24, 2022
Her film plunges viewers into this hothouse atmosphere so fully that it is hard to catch one's breath.
From Salon • Oct. 5, 2021
A stroll through sculpture the garden never failed to let one catch one’s breath and lower the blood pressure.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2020
He ended by repeating that it was wonderful to find oneself “way out here” where one could, as it were, catch one's breath.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
