breathed

American

[bretht, breethd] / brɛθt, briðd /

adjective

Phonetics.

not phonated; unvoiced; voiceless.
utilizing the breath exclusively in the production of a speech sound.

breathed British

/ briːðd, brɛθt /

adjective

phonetics relating to or denoting a speech sound for whose articulation the vocal cords are not made to vibrate Compare voiced

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of breathed

First recorded in 1875–80; breath + -ed ³

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.

See Examples For:

breathed

Investors breathed a sigh of relief at the data and pared their bets on a Fed rate hike this month, though analysts warned the latest US-Iran flare-up could complicate matters.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Two other officials familiar with the dinner said it was very cordial and their leaders breathed a major sigh of relief after it was over that it didn’t devolve into a shouting match.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

It is still unclear what exactly was in the smoke that people breathed in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Stokes, with head coach Brendon McCullum, breathed life into the team and captured the imagination of the public.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Except nothing did happen, and after a few more seconds of nothing, Jack, Phillip, and May all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023