out of breath

Idioms  

1. Breathing with difficulty, panting, gasping. For example, After five flights of stairs I'm out of breath. This slightly hyperbolic term (since literally running out of breath means one is dead) dates from the late 1500s. Also see catch one's breath.

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Example Sentences

I don't feel myself, I can't do anything and it is not normal for me to be out of breath all of the time'.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

He emphasizes effort over perfection: Walk fast enough to get out of breath, but not so fast that you can’t finish the three-minute interval.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2025

In November 2021 she started noticing that she was constantly out of breath but was unable to get a diagnosis for some time.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2025

I’ll swing as high as I can, as fast as possible, until I’m out of breath.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2024

I don’t know what to do, but then Coach West rushes up, all out of breath.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée