breathe

verb \ ˈbrēt͟h \

Updated on: 16 Apr 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

That lack of backstory gives Warner Bros.’ big-screen Rampage adaptation plenty of room to breathe.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Rampage is laughably dumb, but at least there’s plenty of rampaging," 11 Apr. 2018
More than 500 people, mostly women and children, were brought to medical centers complaining of difficulties breathing, foaming at the mouth and burning sensations in the eyes.

— Washington Post, "Tensions rachet up as Israel blamed for Syria missile strike," 10 Apr. 2018
More than 500 people, mostly women and children, were brought to medical centers complaining of difficulties breathing, foaming at the mouth and burning sensations in the eyes.

— NBC News, "Israel blamed for airstrike in Syria after suspected Ghouta chemical weapon attack," 9 Apr. 2018
Fire officials said no hazardous materials were found after two people reported having trouble breathing Friday morning inside a downtown Kansas City office building.

— glenn e. rice and tony rizzo, kansascity, "Downtown workers report trouble breathing, but no hazardous substance found | The Kansas City Star," 6 Apr. 2018
Cochran, 56, sustained broken bones and had complained of difficulty breathing while being treated on scene by paramedics, according to a Sheriff's Office crash report.

— littice bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "St. Charles Parish president in ICU after motorcycle crash," 5 Apr. 2018
On Thursday morning, Stacy shared that Tripp was having trouble breathing despite having his oxygen tank on.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Tripp Halstead Dies 5 Years After He Was Struck by a Tree Branch, Leaving Him with Brain Injury," 16 Mar. 2018
The group, also known as the White Helmets, added that two of its volunteers, and 28 others, suffered difficulties breathing following shelling on the town of Hammouriyeh on Monday evening.

— Bloomberg.com, "Violence Halts Rare Aid Delivery to Syria’s Eastern Ghouta," 6 Mar. 2018
Common symptoms are fever, sore throat, ear pain, tender lymph nodes in the neck, difficulty breathing through the nose and daytime sleepiness.

— Philly.com, "Teens and their tonsils: When do they need to be out?," 1 Mar. 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.