as in pauses
a momentary halt in an activity
took a breather from the seemingly endless task of sorting through years of stuff stored in the attic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of breathers
Mouth breathers tend to carry their head forward to open the airway, a subtle shift that can become its own habitual pattern.
—
Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Lopez or Joseph-Day would be a rotational run-stuffing nose tackle who could allow Walker to get some breathers or line up elsewhere.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Its one-take formula is made to break you — there are no breathers, the intensity simply keeps building to its apex.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
One is called the 'wonderful whimsy,' (with) fire breathers, jugglers, tarot card readers.
—Tony Peterson, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Lopez or Joseph-Day would be a rotational run-stuffing nose tackle who could allow Walker to get some breathers or line up elsewhere.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Its one-take formula is made to break you — there are no breathers, the intensity simply keeps building to its apex.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
One is called the 'wonderful whimsy,' (with) fire breathers, jugglers, tarot card readers.
—Tony Peterson, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breathers
Noun
-
To travel just one meter, these fish require an average of 30 to 60 seconds of movement, along with eight to nine short pauses and nine one-hour rests on horizontal ledges along their route, according to Phys.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The months of rehab, setbacks and pauses took their toll on the living legend.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Referring to the decline in permits approved, ECMC Director Julie Murphy said there were lulls as everyone adjusted course.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Acting in a movie involves a lot of waiting around, too—as the crew repositions cameras and adjusts the lighting, among other things—and those lulls provided me with plenty of time to feel queasy with anxiety.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The show’s set, designed by Hildegard Bechtler, centers around a panel which features — in bright, yellow lettering — the day and time, taking the audience from Sunday morning to Wednesday evening, when Romeo and Juliet take their final breaths.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Texas fans may have held their collective breaths when senior guard Rori Harmon appeared to hurt her right hand midway through the first quarter.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fueled on coffee and with breaks for lunch and dinner, the two men signed more than 15,000, maybe even upwards of 20,000 comics, in a span of four days under the watchful eyes of reps for a signing and grading company charged with handling the comics.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Venture out beyond the square, and the small-town USA illusion breaks.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breathers. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
