breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər How to pronounce breather (audio)
1
: one that breathes
2
: a break in activity for rest or relief
3
: a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure

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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bro, who apparently has some actual empathy, cuts to a commercial to give everyone a breather, but the emotions don’t stop there. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025 Every time the Wild got hemmed in their zone, Gustavsson swallowed the puck in his stomach or against the Wild crest on his chest and let his teammates get a breather and line change. Michael Russo, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 Located in historic downtown Gainesville, the Victorian complex is a nice breather before and after the intensity of game day in Gainesville, and the drive to the stadium is less than 10 minutes. Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025 Despite Hurricane Humberto vanishing off the map and Post-Tropical Cyclone Imelda safely out to sea, there’s no breather for the Atlantic this October. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for breather

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of breather was in 1609

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breather. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

breather

noun
breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər How to pronounce breather (audio)
1
: one that breathes
2
: a pause for rest : break

Medical Definition

breather

noun
breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər How to pronounce breather (audio)
: one that breathes usually in a specified way see mouth breather

More from Merriam-Webster on breather

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!