breathe
7 ENTRIES FOUND:
breathes;
breathed;
breathing
breathes;
breathed;
breathing
Britannica Dictionary definition of BREATHE
1
:
to move air into and out of your lungs
:
to inhale and exhale
[no object]
-
Relax and breathe deeply.
-
He was breathing hard from running.
-
The patient suddenly stopped breathing.
-
I can hardly breathe with all this smoke.
[+ object]
-
He wants to live where he can breathe clean/fresh air.
2
a
:
to send (something) out from your lungs through your mouth or nose
— often + out
— often + out
[+ object]
-
a dragon that breathes fire
-
breathing out [=exhaling] carbon dioxide
[no object]
-
He breathed [=blew] on the glass and wiped it clean.
-
Breathe out through your nose.
b
:
to take (something) into your lungs through your mouth or nose
— often + in
— usually + in
[+ object]
-
You shouldn't be breathing [=inhaling] those fumes.
-
People usually contract the virus by breathing contaminated air.
-
You shouldn't be breathing in those fumes.
[no object]
-
Breathe deeply and then exhale.
-
Breathe in through your nose.
3
[no object]
:
to be alive
-
I'll never give up as long as I'm still breathing.
-
a living, breathing human being
4
[no object]
:
to pause and rest before continuing
-
We had barely stopped to breathe before we were on the go again.
5
[+ object]
:
to bring (something) into a thing
-
City leaders hope the project will breathe vitality/energy into the downtown.
-
Their leadership breathed new life into the movement. [=gave new energy to the movement]
6
[no object]
:
to feel able to think or act freely
-
I need some room to breathe. = I need some breathing room/space.
7
[no object]
a
:
to allow air to pass through
-
a fabric that breathes
b
:
to be cooled or refreshed by air that passes through clothing
-
Cotton clothing lets your skin breathe.
8
[+ object]
:
to say (something) very quietly
— usually used in the phrase breathe a word
-
“It's beautiful,” she breathed.
-
Don't breathe a word of/about this to anyone! [=do not say anything about this to anyone]
9
[no object]
of wine
:
to develop a better flavor because of contact with air
-
Open the bottle a few minutes before you want to drink it so that the wine can breathe.
breathe a sigh of relief
:
to relax because something you have been worrying about is not a problem or danger anymore
:
to feel relieved
-
We all breathed a sigh of relief when we heard that they were safe.
breathe down someone's neck
1
:
to chase after someone closely
-
The cops were breathing down our necks.
2
:
to watch someone carefully and constantly
-
His parents are always breathing down his neck.
breathe easy
or breathe easier or breathe easily or breathe freely
:
to feel relief from pressure, danger, etc.
-
I'll breathe easier once this whole ordeal is over.
-
You can breathe easy knowing that your children are safe.
breathe your last
live and breathe
◊ If you live and breathe something, you spend a great deal of time, thought, or effort on that thing.
-
She lives and breathes music.
-
They live and breathe their work.
-
a breathable fabric [=a fabric that allows air to pass through]
— breathing
noun [noncount]-
Her breathing is heavy/shallow/labored.
-
We'll begin with some breathing exercises.
-
He has breathing problems.
