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.
They must also be taking note of the breathing space China has given itself by electrifying its transport fleet and diversifying its energy sources.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Really labored breathing, kind of tugging in their belly, tugging between their ribs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
One widely discussed explanation is that the intense pressure at greater depths would crush the air spaces used by insects for breathing.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The change to business rates for some hospitality firms is the latest move in what Burnham hopes will provide "breathing space" for people and businesses.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
I watched him crawl to the lip of the breathing hole and not move for a while.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
