breathe

[ breeth ]

/ brið /

verb (used without object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.

(in speech) to control the outgoing breath in producing voice and speech sounds.

to pause, as for breath; take rest: How about giving me a chance to breathe?

to move gently or blow lightly, as air.

to live; exist: Hardly a man breathes who has not known great sorrow.

to be redolent of.

(of a material) to allow air and moisture to pass through easily: The jacket is comfortable because the fabric breathes.

(of the skin) to absorb oxygen and give off perspiration.

(of a wine) to be exposed to air after being uncorked, in order to develop flavor and bouquet.

verb (used with object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

to inhale and exhale in respiration.

to exhale: Dragons breathe fire.

to inject as if by breathing; infuse: She breathed life into the party.

to give utterance to; whisper.

to express; manifest.

to allow to rest or recover breath: to breathe a horse.

to deprive of breath; tire; exhaust.

to cause to pant; exercise.

Idioms for breathe

breathe down someone's neck,

to be close to someone in pursuit; menace; threaten: Police from four states were breathing down his neck.
to watch someone closely so as to supervise or control: If everyone keeps breathing down my neck, how can I get my work done?

breathe freely, to have relief from anxiety, tension, or pressure: Now that the crisis was over, he could breathe freely. Also breathe easily, breathe easy.

breathe one's last, to die: He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.

not breathe a word/syllable, to maintain secrecy; keep a matter confidential: I'll tell you if you promise not to breathe a word.

Origin of breathe

1250–1300; Middle English brethen, derivative of breath

SYNONYMS FOR breathe

14 utter, tell, murmur, voice; reveal, divulge.

OTHER WORDS FROM breathe

out·breathe, verb (used with object), out·breathed, out·breath·ing. pre·breathe, verb (used with object), pre·breathed, pre·breath·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breathe

breadth breath breathe

Words nearby breathe

breathable, breathalyse, breathalyser, breathalyzer, breatharian, breathe, breathe down someone's neck, breathe easy, breathe life into, breathe one's last, breathed

British Dictionary definitions for breathe down someone's neck

breathe

/ (briːð) /

verb

to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire

(intr) to exist; be alive every animal that breathes on earth

(intr) to rest to regain breath, composure, etc stop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe

(intr) (esp of air) to blow lightly the wind breathed through the trees

(intr) machinery

to take in air, esp for combustionthe engine breathes through this air filter
to equalize the pressure within a container, chamber, etc, with atmospheric pressurethe crankcase breathes through this duct

(tr) phonetics to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cords Compare voice (def. 19)

to exhale or emit the dragon breathed fire

(tr) to impart; instil to breathe confidence into the actors

(tr) to speak softly; whisper to breathe words of love

(tr) to permit to rest to breathe a horse

(intr) (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate

breathe again, breathe freely or breathe easily to feel relief I could breathe again after passing the exam

breathe down someone's neck to stay close to someone, esp to oversee what they are doing the cops are breathing down my neck

breathe one's last to die or be finished or defeated

Word Origin for breathe

C13: from breath

Idioms and Phrases with breathe down someone's neck (1 of 2)

breathe down someone's neck

Pursue someone closely; pose a threat to one, as in The immigration authorities were breathing down his neck. [Mid-1900s]

Watch or supervise someone very closely, as in The boss is always breathing down our necks. [Mid-1900s]

Idioms and Phrases with breathe down someone's neck (2 of 2)

breathe

In addition to the idioms beginning with breathe

breathe down someone's neck
breathe easy
breathe life into
breathe one's last

also see:

as I live and breathe
breathing space
not breathe a word

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

breathe

verb (used without object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

verb (used with object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

Idioms for breathe

Origin of breathe

SYNONYMS FOR breathe

OTHER WORDS FROM breathe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breathe

Words nearby breathe

British Dictionary definitions for breathe down someone's neck

verb

Word Origin for breathe

Idioms and Phrases with breathe down someone's neck (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with breathe down someone's neck (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

breathe

verb (used without object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

verb (used with object), breathed [breethd] /briðd/, breath·ing.

Idioms for breathe

Origin of breathe

SYNONYMS FOR breathe

OTHER WORDS FROM breathe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breathe

Words nearby breathe

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for breathe down someone's neck

verb

Word Origin for breathe

Idioms and Phrases with breathe down someone's neck (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with breathe down someone's neck (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for breathe down someone's neck