breath

breath · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    The air taken into or expelled from the lungs.

  2. 2.

    An instance of breathing in or out.

  3. 3.

    A slight movement of air.

  4. 4.

    A brief moment or pause.

  5. 5.

    A hint or suggestion of something.

Forms

plural: breaths

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    take someone's breath away — to astonish or amaze
  • •
    hold one's breath — to wait anxiously
  • •
    catch one's breath — to rest and recover normal breathing
  • •
    out of breath — breathing heavily from exertion
  • •
    under one's breath — in a whisper
  • •
    waste one's breath — to speak without effect
  • •
    a breath of fresh air — something refreshingly new or different
  • •
    in the same breath — at the same time or moment

Related words

See also: air, breathe, breathing, respiration
Synonyms: air, exhalation, respiration

Etymology

From Old English "brǣþ" meaning smell, scent, or breath, from Proto-Germanic "*brēþiz." Related to "breathe."