breathnoun
uk/breθ/us/breθ/B1 [ U ] the air that goes into and out of your lungs:
Her breath smelled of garlic.
She was dizzy and short of breath (= unable to breathe in enough air).
He burst into the room, red-faced and out of breath (= unable to breathe comfortably because of tiredness or excitement).
catch your breath also get your breath (back)
C1 to pause or rest for a short time until you can breathe comfortably or regularly again:
I had to stop running to catch my breath.
draw breath
to breathe:
Without pausing to draw breath she told me everything.
to pause for a short time between doing one thing and the next:
Give me a minute to draw breath, won't you?
hold your breath
B2 to keep air in your lungs and not release it so that you need more:
How long can you hold your breath under water?
C2 to wait for something to happen, often feeling anxious:
Fans held their breath waiting for the final whistle.
[ C ] a single action of breathing air into your lungs
take a breath
B2 to breathe air into your lungs (as a single action):
The doctor told me to take a deep breath (= breathe in a lot of air).
a breath of air
the smallest amount of wind:
There wasn't a breath of air in the room.
a short period of time spent outside:
I'm just going out for a breath of (fresh) air - I won't be long.
More examples
- Her breath reeked of garlic.
- I heard his breath rasping in his chest.
- The disease may cause cold sweating, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath .
- She paused to get her breath back and then carried on jogging.
- It's terribly smoky in here - I'm just going out for a breath of fresh air.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Animal physiology: breathing & stopping breathing
- aerobic respiration
- anaerobic
- asphyxia
- breathable
- breathe
- breathing
- breathless
- gasp
- heave
- huff
- intake
- respiration
- respiratory
- sigh
- sleep apnoea
- strangle
- strangulate
- suffocate
- suffocating
- winded
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Stop having or doing something
Wind & winds
From, out and outside
Idiom(s)
a breath of fresh air
don't hold your breath
in the same breath
take sb's breath away
under your breath
with your last/dying breath