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

Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

They may also get shortness of breath, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting or diarrhoea.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Four to 10 days after the initial phase of the illness, another round of symptoms can develop, which include coughing, shortness of breath and possible tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Symptoms of a severe condition include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain and a fluttering heartbeat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Papa had carved her a sturdy cane; the blisters and sores had mostly healed, the shortness of breath all but gone.

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper