breather

noun breath·er \ ˈbrē-t͟hər \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of breather

1 : one that breathes

2 : a break in activity for rest or relief

3 : a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure

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Examples of breather in a Sentence

He decided to give them a breather.
took a breather from the seemingly endless task of sorting through years of stuff stored in the attic

Recent Examples of breather from the Web

The Spruce Street Harbor Park is also opening this weekend, so take a breather after all that shopping to enjoy musical performances, hands-on activities, and plenty of food options.

— bethany ao, Philly.com, "How to celebrate Mother's Day in Philadelphia," 9 May 2018
Furthermore, e-commerce appears to be taking a breather after years of dramatic growth.

— corinne abrams, WSJ, "Walmart Agrees to Buy 77% Stake in Flipkart for $16 Billion," 9 May 2018
So sometimes people take a breather and sit on the steps midway through their pilgrimage to the top—as anyone would.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "The Celebrities Who Sat on the Stairs at the 2018 Met Gala Are a Total Mood," 8 May 2018
Jungle Jim’s River Safari Water Park 36944 Country Club Road, Rehoboth Beach; 302-227-8444; funatjunglejims.com Splash in the wave pool and slip away through a giant waterslide, then take a breather while floating down the Lazy River.

— kit waskom pollard, baltimoresun.com, "Delaware beaches: 21 places to take the kids, from Lewes to Fenwick," 8 May 2018
Senior Sihiem King, who was held out of the spring game with a head injury, will remain an important weapon as a scat back and kick returner, but Rose has the frame and running style to carry the load if Snell needs a breather or is injured.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "UK Mailbag: What's next in Kentucky basketball recruiting? What did we learn in spring practice?," 18 Apr. 2018
After one of the most difficult off-seasons in its history, Colonial Country Club figures to have a breather for 2019 and beyond.

— mac engel, star-telegram, "Colonial and PGA Tour create a new future with corporate sponsor | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 20 Apr. 2018
Micah Baskerville figures to be a special teams standout this season and Patrick Queen is coming along behind White and will help to give White some breathers but the starting job is between Taylor and Phillips to figure out.

— andrew lopez, NOLA.com, "5 position battles to watch in LSU's spring game," 20 Apr. 2018
After netting their second, the hosts elected to afford Los Legionarios a breather and wound down in the closing minutes of the opening 45 before referee Burgos Bengoetxea called time with Blaugrana taking a two-goal advantage into the break.

— SI.com, "Barcelona 3-1 Leganes: Lionel Messi Hat-Trick Seals Record-Equalling Barca Win," 7 Apr. 2018

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