breathe definition | Dictionary.com

breathe

[breeth]

verb, breathed [breeth

, breath⋅ing.

Use breathe in a Sentence

–verb (used without object)

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

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

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

4.	to move gently or blow lightly, as air.

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

6.	to be redolent of.

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

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

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

–verb (used with object)

10.	to inhale and exhale in respiration.

11.	to exhale: Dragons breathe fire.

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

13.	to give utterance to; whisper.

14.	to express; manifest.

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

16.	to deprive of breath; tire; exhaust.

17.	to cause to pant; exercise.

—Idioms

18.

breathe down someone's neck,

a.	to be close to someone in pursuit; menace; threaten: Police from four states were breathing down his neck.

b.	to watch someone closely so as to supervise or control: If everyone keeps breathing down my neck, how can I get my work done?

19.	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.

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

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

Origin:
1250–1300; ME brethen, deriv. of breath

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To breathe

breathe (brēth)

v. breathed, breath·ing, breathes

v. intr.

To inhale and exhale air, especially when naturally and freely.
To be alive; live: A nicer person has never breathed.
To pause to rest or regain breath: Give me a moment to breathe.
To move or blow gently, as air.
To allow air to pass through: a natural fabric that breathes.
To be exhaled or emanated, as a fragrance.
To be manifested or suggested, as an idea or feeling: A sense of calm breathed from the landscape.
To reach fullness of flavor and aroma through exposure to air. Used chiefly of wine.
To require air in the combustion process. Used of an internal-combustion engine.

v. tr.

To inhale and exhale (air, for example) during respiration.
To inhale (an aroma, for example): breathe the lush scent of lilacs.
To impart as if by breathing; instill: an artist who knows how to breathe life into a portrait.
To exhale (something); emit.
To utter, especially quietly: Don't breathe a word of this.
To make apparent or manifest; suggest: Their manner breathed self-satisfaction.
To allow (a person or animal) to rest or regain breath.
Linguistics To utter with a voiceless exhalation of air.
To draw in (air) for the combustion process. Used of an internal-combustion engine.

[Middle English brethen, from breth, breath; see breath.]

Our Living Language : The euphemistic expression breathe one's last illustrates a widespread linguistic and cultural phenomenon known as taboo avoidance. There are certain concepts that few people like to talk or think about, and death is certainly one of them. Such concepts are often expressed linguistically by the invention of circumlocutions or other substitutions for the word that expresses the concept directly (in this case, the verb to die), probably as a way of minimizing the power of the basic word for the concept. It is interesting to compare how two different styles of language, formal and slang, avoid saying "die." More formal or elevated speech is full of euphemistic expressions such as breathe one's last, pass away, depart, expire, go to one's eternal reward, go the way of all flesh, and go to a better place. Many of these expressions try to cast death in a positive light, often with religious overtones. Speakers of slang are just as interested in avoiding the word die, partly for the same taboo-avoidance reasons and partly because of the general striving on the part of slang speakers to come up with novel expressions for old concepts. The result is a raft of irreverent expressions that are much more direct than the elevated ones—but not so direct as to actually say "die." These expressions often concentrate on a particular physical aspect of dying, lending them an unusually vivid quality: croak, go belly up, kick the bucket, cash in one's chips, bite the dust, eat it, crap out.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Breathe

Breathe\ (br[=e][th]), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Breathed; p. pr. & vb. n. Breathing.] [From Breath.]

1. To respire; to inhale and exhale air; hence;, to live. "I am in health, I breathe." --Shak.

Breathes there a man with soul so dead? --Sir W. Scott.

2. To take breath; to rest from action.

Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again! --Shak.

3. To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to exhale; to emanate; to blow gently.

The air breathes upon us here most sweetly. --Shak.

There breathes a living fragrance from the shore. --Byron.

Breathe

Breathe\, v. t. 1. To inhale and exhale in the process of respiration; to respire.

To view the light of heaven, and breathe the vital air. --Dryden.

2. To inject by breathing; to infuse; -- with into.

Able to breathe life into a stone. --Shak.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. --Gen. ii. 7.

3. To emit or utter by the breath; to utter softly; to whisper; as, to breathe a vow.

He softly breathed thy name. --Dryden.

Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse, A mother's curse, on her revolting son. --Shak.

4. To exhale; to emit, as breath; as, the flowers breathe odors or perfumes.

5. To express; to manifest; to give forth.

Others articles breathe the same severe spirit. --Milner.

6. To act upon by the breath; to cause to sound by breathing. "They breathe the flute." --Prior.

7. To promote free respiration in; to exercise.

And every man should beat thee. I think thou wast created for men to breathe themselves upon thee. --Shak.

8. To suffer to take breath, or recover the natural breathing; to rest; as, to breathe a horse.

A moment breathed his panting steed. --Sir W. Scott.

9. To put out of breath; to exhaust.

Mr. Tulkinghorn arrives in his turret room, a little breathed by the journey up. --Dickens.

10. (Phonetics) To utter without vocality, as the nonvocal consonants.

The same sound may be pronounces either breathed, voiced, or whispered. --H. Sweet.

Breathed elements, being already voiceless, remain unchanged

Note: [in whispering]. --H. Sweet.

To breathe again, to take breath; to feel a sense of relief, as from danger, responsibility, or press of business.

To breathe one's last, to die; to expire.

To breathe a vein, to open a vein; to let blood. --Dryden.

Language Translation for : breathe

Spanish: respirar,

German: atmen,

Japanese: 呼吸する

More Translations »

breathe

c.1300, not in O.E., but it retains the original O.E. vowel of its source word, breath. Breather "spell of exercise taken to stimulate the breathing" is from 1836.

Main Entry: breathe
Pronunciation: 'brEth
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: breathed;breath·ing
intransitive senses
1 : to draw air into and expel it from the lungs : RESPIRE; broadly : to take in oxygen and giveout carbon dioxide through natural processes
2 : to inhale and exhale freely breathe transitive senses
: to inhale and exhale <breathing freshair>

breathe

In addition to the idioms beginning with breathe, also see as I live and breathe; breathing space; not breathe a word.

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