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
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Recent Examples of breathers
For both air breathers and water breathers, many chemicals in crude oil target the heart and respiratory function, the immune system, the sensory system and the central nervous system.
—
Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
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
Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breathers
Noun
-
New Citadel employees learn not to fill in those pauses.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Speakers left pauses for imaginary conversational partners to respond, as if observing real turn-taking conventions.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Yes, there were lulls, to be sure.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
-
The quality, however, doesn’t make for a pleasant viewing experience, especially during lulls in the season like the one the Dodgers are currently battling through.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Step outside for a few minutes of morning sunlight, take a few deep breaths and set a specific intention.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
-
Deep breaths can help, or mantras that a parent will be there to pick them up.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
In the director’s view, fragmented editing breaks emotional continuity; an unbroken take mirrors the uninterrupted flow of lived experience.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
20 June 2026
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There will be hydration breaks during games and special rules that take effect if the on-field temperature exceeds 32°C (90°F).—
Arthur L. Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Breathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breathers. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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