take a breath

idiom

: to pause and rest
(US) I've barely had time to (stop and/to) take a breath since they got here.
(British) I've barely had time to draw breath since they got here.

Examples of take a breath in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This interruption does not act as a deterrent, only a chance for the person to take a breath before carrying on about Aunt Matilda’s hip replacement, Jimmy Carter’s secretary of state, etc. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024 Every year, Swire Properties chooses a different design or architectural practice to create this space, which serves as a cocoon for their VIP guests to take a breath and form connections. Kissa Castañeda, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024 Picnic tables along the way to stop and take a breath. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Ito opens proceedings with an unusual trigger warning, advising any viewers unnerved by the traumas raised in her film to close their eyes and take a breath. Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2024 The calf swam up in the background, just as Iliya was preparing to head back to the surface to take a breath. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 Work on Grey’s Anatomy, Entourage, and Friday Night Lights would get me out of the red just enough to take a breath for a month. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2023 But the problem with using aeration as a proxy for proof of life, many medical experts argue, is that babies don’t have to take a breath for air to enter their lungs. Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 7 Oct. 2023 The woman refused to take a breath test and had her license suspended. cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take a breath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near take a breath

Cite this Entry

“Take a breath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20breath. Accessed 14 May. 2024.

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