1 breather | Definition of breather

breather

noun
breath·​er | \ ˈbrÄ“-tÍŸhÉ™r How to pronounce breather (audio) \

Definition of breather

1 : one that breathes
2 : a break in activity for rest or relief
3 : a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure

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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

Benetti said Sox marketing chief Brooks Boyer came up with the idea of nontraditional celebrity analysts to work the four-game series while Stone takes a breather. Paul Sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Jason Benetti isn’t sure what Bill Walton will bring to the White Sox telecast, but ‘I’m not going to have the media-room brownies’," 14 Aug. 2019 The recovery for equity markets takes a breather with the earnings optimism coming under question and a reminder of the concerns over trade tensions. Annabelle Liang, The Seattle Times, "Asian stocks fall, weighed by tensions over US trade tariffs," 16 July 2018 Link quipped on Tuesday, taking a breather after last week’s Thunderdome-style action in Springfield, which also produced sea-change legislation on legal recreational marijuana and $45 billion in funding to rebuild crumbling infrastructure. Dan Moran, Lake County News-Sun, "Moran: After bringing a gambling package home, Link says Waukegan casino could break ground next year," 4 June 2019 There were also a couple of misting fans throughout the course if anyone needed to take a breather to cool off. Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Cream puffs a perfect reward for running a hot and sticky 5K at State Fair Park," 18 July 2019 Beth, in particular, laughed at the news, causing John to take a breather outside. Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "‘Yellowstone’ Fans Have No Clue What John Dutton Said at the End of Last Night’s Episode," 11 July 2019 Just when the global semiconductor industry seems to be taking a breather from one geopolitical conflict, another one is rearing its head. Jacky Wong, WSJ, "Global Chip Makers Can’t Catch a Break," 2 July 2019 Now, for a variety of reasons, the downtown boom is taking a breather. Detroit Free Press, "Detroit's downtown building boom slowing as costs, rents soar," 27 June 2019 Elsewhere, gold prices, which recently rose to a six-year high, are taking a breather. Anneken Tappe, CNN, "Stocks set to rebound after Mnuchin spurs trade optimism," 26 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breather.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of breather

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for breather

breather

noun

English Language Learners Definition of breather

: a pause for rest
: someone or something that breathes in a specified way

breather

noun
breath·​er | \ ˈbrÄ“-tÍŸhÉ™r How to pronounce breather (audio) \

Kids Definition of breather

: a pause for rest

breather

noun
breath·​er | \ ˈbrÄ“-tÍŸhÉ™r How to pronounce breather (audio) \

Medical Definition of breather

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on breather

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with breather

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for breather

Spanish Central: Translation of breather

Nglish: Translation of breather for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of breather for Arabic Speakers