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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of breathers
The door handle was rearranged in order to accommodate the bigger breathers, and one resulting tradeoff is the awkward need to push with one hand while using another to open the door.
—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
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
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breathers
Noun
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The two mid-half pauses for hydration (and advertisements) have been met with increasingly loud boos from crowds who are frustrated at FIFA turning matches into de facto four-quarter affairs.
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The pauses have also been criticized for interrupting the spectacle for fans, with broadcasters cutting to commercials.
Noun
-
Atmospheric warming is diminishing wildfires’ nighttime lulls.
-
Yes, there were lulls, to be sure.
Noun
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The global economy was still caught in the vise of the Great Depression, civil war was brewing in Spain, and the League of Nations was breathing its last breaths.
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It’s made of strong, tear-resistant nylon and inflates manually using about nine breaths.
Noun
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Since launching his menswear brand in 2015, the Mexican American designer casts the same key models repeatedly, such as Shaid Anaya, who takes breaks from his regular job as a construction workers to walk his shows.
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When news breaks of an Ebola case almost anywhere in the world, the public reaction is remarkably predictable.
Cite this Entry
“Breathers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breathers. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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