breathe
verbUK /bɹiːð/ · CA, US /bɹið/
Etymology From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odour”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”). Eclipsed Middle English ethien and orðiæn, from Old English ēþian and orþian (“to breathe”); as well as Middle English anden, onden, from Old Norse anda (“to breathe”). More at breath.
17 senses
- 1To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale)…
- 2To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
- 3To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
- 4To live.
- 5To draw something into the lungs.
- 6To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
- 7To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
- 8To give an impression of, to exude.
- 9To whisper quietly.
- 10To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate…
- 11To inspire (scripture).
- 12To exchange gases with the environment.
- 13Of a material etc., to allow gases to pass through.
- 14To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
- 15To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
- 16To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
- 17To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).
1
To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
2
To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
- Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
3
To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
- While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
4
Figuratively To live.
- I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe.
- I am in health, I breathe.1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
1 more example
- Breathes there a man with soul so dead?1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: […] [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], and A[rchibald] Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
5
To draw something into the lungs.
- Try not to breathe too much smoke.
6
To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
- If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
7
To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
- The flowers breathed a heady perfume.
- Mountain Drakes breathe fire, Ice Drakes breathe ice, Swamp Drakes breathe acid, and Forest Drakes breathe lightning.2012, Timothy Groves, The Book Of Creatures, →ISBN, page 85:
8
To give an impression of, to exude.
- The decor positively breathes classical elegance.
9
To whisper quietly.
- He breathed the words into her ear, but she understood them all.
10
To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
- The wind breathes through the trees.
- The air breathes upon us here most sweetly.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
1 more example
- There breathes a living fragrance from the shore.1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):
11
With God as agent To inspire (scripture).
Chiefly Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity
- The affirmation before us, then, will be, "All scripture is divinely breathed."1850, John Howard Hinton, On the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures. A lecture, etc, page 16:
- […] that God, who breathed the Scriptures, "cannot lie," […]1917, J. C. Ferdinand Pittman, Bible Truths Illustrated: For the Use of Preachers, Teachers, Bible-school, Christian Endeavor, Temperance and Other Christian Workers, page 168:
1 more example
- Paul says that since God breathed the Scriptures, they are therefore useful; he did not put it the other way around (i.e., that they are useful, therefore inspired).2010, Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor's Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Zondervan, →ISBN:
12
To exchange gases with the environment.
- Uncork the wine and leave it on the table for a few minutes to allow it to breathe.
13
Of a material etc., to allow gases to pass through.
- Garments made of certain new materials breathe well and keep the skin relatively dry during exercise.
14
Archaic To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
- Thenne they lasshed to gyder many sad strokes / & tracyd and trauercyd now bakward / now sydelyng hurtlyng to gyders lyke two bores / & that same tyme they felle both grouelyng to the erthe / Thus they fought styll withoute ony reposynge two houres and neuer brethed1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “lxiiij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book X:
- Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again!c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:
15
To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
- At higher altitudes you need to breathe your horse more often.
16
To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
17
Figuratively To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).
- ―Do you like hiking? ―Are you kidding? I breathe hiking.
- Synonyms
- respire, live and breathe, breathe, draw breath, inbreathe, spire, suspire
- Antonyms
- asphyxiate, choke, hold one's breath, suffocate
- Derived terms
40 terms
airbreathing, as I live and breathe, breathable, breathe again, breathe a sigh of relief, breathe a word, breathe back to life, breathe down someone's neck, breathe easy, breathe freely, breathe in, breathe new life into, breathe one's last, breathe one's last breath, breathe out, breather, breathe upon, breathing gas, breathingly, breathing room, breathing space, breathing spell, buddy breathe, bum-breathing, embreathe, fire-breathing, imbreathe, inbreathe, misbreathe, mouth-breathe, nonbreathing, outbreathe, overbreathe, overbreathed, rebreathe, stagger breathe, unbreathed, unbreathing, underbreathe, upbreathe- Related terms
27 terms
breath, exhalation, inhalation, respiration, breathable, breathability, as I live and breathe, bad breath, breathe easy, breathe down someone's neck, breathe a sigh of relief, breathe a word, catch one's breath, don't hold your breath, draw one's last breath, eat, and sleep, in the same breath, out of breath, pause for breath, save one's breath, shortness of breath, stop for breath, take one's breath away, under one's breath, waste breath, with bated breath- Hypernyms
- respire
- Hyponyms