breathe

verb \ ˈbrēt͟h \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

breathed; breathing

1 a : to draw air into and expel it from the lungs : respire; broadly : to take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide through natural processes

b : to inhale and exhale freely

2 : to blow softly

3 : live

4 : to pause and rest before continuing

5 : to feel free of restraint

needs room to breathe

6 a : to permit passage of air or vapor

a fabric that breathes

b of an internal combustion engine : to use air to support combustion

c : to be cooled or dried by air that passes by or through

clothing that allows your skin to breathe

7 of wine : to develop flavor and bouquet by exposure to air

8 a : to become perceptible : be expressed

a personality that breathes and that distinguishes his work
—Bennett Schiff

b obsolete : to emit a fragrance or aura

transitive verb

1 : to inhale and exhale

breathe air

2 a : to send out by exhaling

b : to instill by or as if by breathing

breathe new life into the movement

3 : to take in in breathing

breathe the scent of pines

4 a : utter, express

don't breathe a word of it to anyone

b : to make manifest : evince

the novel breathes despair

5 : to give rest from exertion to

6 : to spend a great deal of time, thought, or effort on (something) : to be wholly devoted to (some interest or activity)

The Virginia native may not breathe basketball 24-7 … but during games and practice, his focus is second to none.
—Robbi Pickeral

As with visiting companies, one of the key reasons for going to conferences is to avoid the tunnel vision that can overcome managers who live and breathe their business.
—Leslie Brokaw

— breathe down one's neck

1 : to threaten especially in attack or pursuit

2 : to keep one under close or constant surveillance

parents always breathing down his neck

— breathe easy or breathe easier or breathe easily or breathe freely

: to enjoy relief (as from pressure or danger)

See breathe defined for English-language learners

See breathe defined for kids

Examples of breathe in a Sentence

No one was more grief-stricken by Lincoln's assassination than Stanton, who spoke the imperishable words as the president breathed his last: "Now he belongs to the ages." —James M. McPherson, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 2005
… The tinder burned all right, but that was as far as I got. I blew on it, I breathed on it, I cupped it in my hands, but no sooner did I add twigs than the whole thing went black. —Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain, (1959) 2001
However, liquid nitrogen is not used for higher levels of fog because breathing this substance is unsafe. Dry ice is a safer material, and can be used either at ground level or higher. —Patricia D. Netzley, Encylopedia Of Movie Special Effects, 2000
Earth is surrounded by a life-giving gaseous envelope called the atmosphere. This thin blanket of air is an integral part of the planet. It not only provides the air that we breathe but also acts to protect us from the dangerous radiation emitted by the Sun. —Frederick K. Lutgens et al., The Atmosphere, 1979/2001
He was breathing hard from running.
The patient suddenly stopped breathing.
I can hardly breathe with all this smoke.
He wants to live where he can breathe clean air.
a dragon that breathes fire
People usually contract the virus by breathing contaminated air.
Breathe deeply and then exhale.
I'll never give up as long as I'm still breathing.
a living, breathing human being

Recent Examples of breathe from the Web

Mike is the living, breathing embodiment of the school's Tiger mascot.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Millions watch video of Mike the Tiger 'stalk' LSU visitor. Then his caretaker pounced," 21 June 2018
Soza, for one, will go home to Jeffersonville, to her family, and breathe a sigh of relief.

— dakota crawford, Indianapolis Star, "How these new U.S. citizens see immigration reform," 20 June 2018
Before when my baby was breathing inside me, healthy, fine.

— tara shafer, Redbook, "I Lost a Baby at 33 Weeks — Now I'm Fighting to Spare Others the Same Pain," 19 June 2018
Without dystrophin, muscles break down over time, which is why Duchenne patients gradually lose their ability to walk and breathe.

— adam feuerstein, STAT, "With tantalizing early results, Sarepta’s gene therapy for Duchenne raises hopes for ‘real change’," 19 June 2018
For me, however, this is a living, breathing portrait of what life must have been like for my ancestors in a country where their children could be taken at the slaveholder’s whim.

— solomon jones, Philly.com, "153 years after Juneteenth, black and brown people are still dehumanized in America | Solomon Jones," 19 June 2018
If someone is breathing down your neck, tell them to go kick soccer balls and leave you alone.

— kat bein, Billboard, "The 10 Best Songs About Soccer," 19 June 2018
One Virginia Democrat who is breathing much easier today is U.S. senator Tim Kaine, whose GOP opponent will be neo-Confederate Trumpite Corey Stewart.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Primaries Set Up Big General Election Battles," 13 June 2018
One hundred years ago, as World War I drew to a close and the Austro-Hungarian Empire breathed its last, Viennese Modernism lost four of its main proponents, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Koloman Moser and Otto Wagner.

— a. j. goldmann, WSJ, "How Otto Wagner Made Vienna Modern," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breathe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.