as in pause
a momentary halt in an activity
took a breather from the seemingly endless task of sorting through years of stuff stored in the attic
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Recent Examples of breather
No vet days, no breather subs late in a game.
—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Some of the episode’s interiors were built alongside the regular Widow’s Bay sets, so breaks for her –– while costumed in 18th century clothing –– were spent taking a breather on a city hall desk or lounging on a couch that would certainly be out of place in 1702.
—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
27 May 2026
There was no benefit of a breather after long innings for Peterson either.
—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2026
In the meantime, Durán also caught Canning’s ramp-up starts at Triple-A El Paso, so that was an opportunity to give Fermin an extra breather.
—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for breather
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Some of the episode’s interiors were built alongside the regular Widow’s Bay sets, so breaks for her –– while costumed in 18th century clothing –– were spent taking a breather on a city hall desk or lounging on a couch that would certainly be out of place in 1702.
—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
27 May 2026
There was no benefit of a breather after long innings for Peterson either.
—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2026
In the meantime, Durán also caught Canning’s ramp-up starts at Triple-A El Paso, so that was an opportunity to give Fermin an extra breather.
—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for breather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breather
Noun
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Munster’s mosquito-spraying program is once again set to take flight Tuesday after a brief pause, the town announced.
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His health problems resembled a fall down a long flight of stairs, with pauses at several landings.
Noun
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But just when there seemed to be a lull in all things Taylor-Travis, the couple hit some major milestones.
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Getty Images There are lulls on the PGA Tour calendar, and this is one of those heading into the John Deere Classic this weekend.
Noun
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The head may be turned, a breath taken in a conscious way, or not.
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Fans hold their breath and hope for Messi to score every time that Argentina plays, but this team is loaded with talent.
Noun
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Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson have been subbed off in the 73rd minute, just after the players returned from the hydration break.
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Summer schedules, school breaks and birthday parties all share one thing in common.
Cite this Entry
“Breather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breather. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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