as in pause
a momentary halt in an activity
took a breather from the seemingly endless task of sorting through years of stuff stored in the attic
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Recent Examples of breather
Palo Alto shares took a breather this year, but better days are ahead.
—
Paulina Likos, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
But leaders are still finding little ways to catch a breather from being CEO.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
Pull over and give yourself a breather.
—Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
After a heated sermon, Jefferson slips into a side closet to take a breather.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breather
Paulina Likos, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
But leaders are still finding little ways to catch a breather from being CEO.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 1 Jan. 2026
Pull over and give yourself a breather.
—Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
After a heated sermon, Jefferson slips into a side closet to take a breather.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breather
Noun
-
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery inside the NODE 100 provides up to 1000+ hours of use from a single charge, which means fewer pauses to top up on power.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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The City of Minneapolis is also filing a declaration in hopes a judge will issue a temporary restraining order to put a pause on the operation.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Emilee Chinn / Getty Images Activity hit a lull after Edwin Díaz was introduced as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new closer 26 days ago.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Hornick, the diner’s owner, said that despite the Logan Square spot struggling for many months — some days having a two-hour lull without a single customer — servers would turn a switch immediately as the door swung open.—
Zareen Syed,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Balance teaches validated meditation skills, such as body scan, breath control, and visualization.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Thompson gasped loudly as the injection began taking effect, according to The Associated Press, before taking about a dozen breaths that turned into snoring sounds.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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When down 0-40 in the third game of the match after an exchange of breaks, Rybakina was able to serve her way out of trouble, helped by a first of 11 aces.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But the Wolves shot 65% from the field in the second quarter to lead by 15 at the break and never looked back, building a lead of as many as 32 points.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breather. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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