breathe
verb
\ ˈbrēt͟h
\
\
breathed;
breathing
Definition of breathe
b
: to inhale and exhale freely
2
: to blow softly
3
: live
4
: to pause and rest before continuing
5
: to feel free of restraint
needs room to breathe
6a
: to permit passage of air or vapor
a fabric that breathes
b
of an internal combustion engine
: to use air to support combustion
c
: to be cooled or dried by air that passes by or through
clothing that allows your skin to breathe
8a
: to become perceptible : be expressed
a personality that breathes and that distinguishes his work— Bennett Schiff
1
: to inhale and exhale
breathe air
2a
: to send out by exhaling
b
: to instill by or as if by breathing
breathe new life into the movement
3
: to take in in breathing
breathe the scent of pines
5
: to give rest from exertion to
6
: to spend a great deal of time, thought, or effort on (something) : to be wholly devoted to (some interest or activity)
The Virginia native may not breathe basketball 24-7 … but during games and practice, his focus is second to none.— Robbi Pickeral As with visiting companies, one of the key reasons for going to conferences is to avoid the tunnel vision that can overcome managers who live and breathe their business.— Leslie Brokaw
breathe down one's neck
breathe easy
or breathe easier
or breathe easily
or breathe freely
1
: to threaten especially in attack or pursuit
2
: to keep one under close or constant surveillance
parents always breathing down his neck
: to enjoy relief (as from pressure or danger)
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Examples of breathe in a Sentence
No one was more grief-stricken by Lincoln's assassination than Stanton, who spoke the imperishable words as the president breathed his last: "Now he belongs to the ages."
— James M. McPherson, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 2005
… The tinder burned all right, but that was as far as I got. I blew on it, I breathed on it, I cupped it in my hands, but no sooner did I add twigs than the whole thing went black.
— Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain, (1959) 2001
However, liquid nitrogen is not used for higher levels of fog because breathing this substance is unsafe. Dry ice is a safer material, and can be used either at ground level or higher.
— Patricia D. Netzley, Encylopedia Of Movie Special Effects, 2000
Earth is surrounded by a life-giving gaseous envelope called the atmosphere. This thin blanket of air is an integral part of the planet. It not only provides the air that we breathe but also acts to protect us from the dangerous radiation emitted by the Sun.
— Frederick K. Lutgens et al., The Atmosphere, 1979/2001
He was breathing hard from running.
The patient suddenly stopped breathing.
I can hardly breathe with all this smoke.
He wants to live where he can breathe clean air.
a dragon that breathes fire
People usually contract the virus by breathing contaminated air.
Breathe deeply and then exhale.
I'll never give up as long as I'm still breathing.
a living, breathing human being
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Recent Examples on the Web
With details pending, police said that someone called 911 after finding the man still breathing at Fern Street and Van Ness Avenue. — Pete Grieve, SFChronicle.com, "42-year-old man stabbed to death in San Francisco," 16 Aug. 2019 Across the aisle, in a silent hotel conference room, a contestant rubbed her face, breathing deeply. — Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, "Baby powder, computer fans and flying fingers: Welcome to the Olympics of court reporting," 15 Aug. 2019 The concept for nitrogen executions is believed to be that the inmate would die by breathing only nitrogen, with no oxygen. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "Alabama AG’s office silent on new execution method," 14 Aug. 2019 Repeat after us: breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. — Paige Stables, Good Housekeeping, "12 Healthy Hair Habits You Should Adopt ASAP," 14 Aug. 2019 Particulate matters and polluting gases from automobile emissions contribute to making breathing the air in the city a death sentence. — Kartik Chandramouli, Quartz India, "How former rickshaw pullers are steering a green revolution on Indian roads," 7 Aug. 2019 How many people looked at him after his release and breathed a sigh of relief: Perhaps things weren’t so bad? — Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "The Weaponization of National Belonging, from Nazi Germany to Trump," 21 July 2019 As the Padres breathe .500 air at the All-Star break for the first time since 2010, how has Green done? — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Grade on Andy Green? Much better than many Padres fans admit," 9 July 2019 From the puff sleeves to the headband, Zendaya was a living, breathing Disney princess. — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "A Detailed Timeline of Zendaya and Lindsay Lohan's Feud," 26 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breathe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for breathe
breathe
verb
English Language Learners Definition of breathe
: to move air into and out of your lungs : to inhale and exhale
: to send (something) out from your lungs through your mouth or nose
: to take (something) into your lungs through your mouth or nose
See the full definition for breathe in the English Language Learners Dictionary
breathe
verb
\ ˈbrēt͟h
\
\
breathed;
breathing