breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər 

1

: one that breathes

2

: a break in activity for rest or relief

3

: a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure

Synonyms

• break
• breath
• interruption
• lull
• pause
• recess

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

Animal spirits are again taking the market reign as investors’ fears have taken a breather, largely due to President Donald Trump walking back some of his most extreme tariff policies and the administration making progress on trade war de-escalation efforts. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 25 June 2025

The market's recent run higher took a breather as major indexes ended the session near previous closing levels. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 11 June 2025

While some players were busy representing their countries, others received a nice (and necessary) breather. —Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 5 June 2025

Also helping stocks Tuesday: a breather for the beleaguered bond market. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for breather

• either
• neither

Kids Definition

breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər 

1

: one that breathes

2

: a pause for rest : break

Medical Definition

breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər 

: one that breathes usually in a specified way see mouth breather