breathe

verb

\ ˈbrēt͟h

breathed; breathing

Definition of breathe

1a : 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

6a : 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

8a : 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

2a : 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

4a : 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)

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about breathe

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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 on the Web

Farr has a history of breathing new life into historic spaces. — SFChronicle.com, "In Oakland’s Laurel District, barbecue’s past collides with its present," 2 July 2019 Low-level exposure causes trouble breathing, chest pain, vomiting, headaches and enlargement of the thyroid gland. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "Suncor oil refinery operators hit by Colorado health department for emitting toxic gas," 1 July 2019 Gary Sexton, a former chemical operator, has trouble breathing due to the beryllium levels at the plant, the lawsuit said. — Sarah Brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Lawsuit: Residents near Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant have been 'sacrificial lambs'," 30 June 2019 The Apollo program had breathed life into the fledgling company by ordering hundreds of thousands of Fairchild components. — Stephen Witt, WIRED, "Apollo 11: Mission Out of Control," 24 June 2019 You can be exposed to glyphosate by breathing it or absorbing it through your eyes while using Roundup. — Maggie O'neill, Health.com, "Does Cheerios Cause Cancer? Everything You Need to Know About Glyphosate," 13 June 2019 For example, if a person is not breathing well during sleep (snoring or sleep apnea), this will disturb the normal sequences and cause the individual to awaken feeling unrestored. — Steven Bender, Quartz, "Hitting the snooze button is bad for your health," 7 June 2019 For example, if a person is not breathing well during sleep (snoring or sleep apnea), this will disturb the normal sequences and cause the individual to awaken feeling unrestored. — Steven Bender, Houston Chronicle, "Does hitting the snooze button really help you feel better?," 6 June 2019 Now Leane and Tracy Slatyer, a theoretical physicist at MIT and a co-author of one of those 2015 pulsar studies, have breathed some life back into the dark matter option. — Quanta Magazine, "Dark Matter Gets a Reprieve in New Analysis," 29 Apr. 2019

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.