Breath
adj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 The act or process of breathing. uncountable
"I could hear the breath of the runner behind me."
- 2 the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing wordnet
- 3 A single act of breathing in or out; a breathing of air. countable
"I took a deep breath and started the test."
- 4 an indirect suggestion wordnet
- 5 Air expelled from the lungs. uncountable
"I could feel the runner's breath on my shoulder."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a slight movement of the air wordnet
- 7 A rest or pause. countable
"Let's stop for a breath when we get to the top of the hill."
- 8 the air that is inhaled and exhaled in respiration wordnet
- 9 A small amount of something, such as wind, or common sense. countable, uncountable
"Even with all the windows open, there is hardly a breath of air in here."
- 10 a short respite wordnet
- 11 Fragrance; exhalation; odor; perfume. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Autumn[…]Who wakenest with thy balmy breath"
- 12 Gentle exercise, causing a quicker respiration. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"an after dinner's breath"
- 1 Misspelling of breathe. alt-of, misspelling
"In the polar regions one finds dark cold waters with few places to breath."
- 1 voiceless, surd; contrasting with voice (breath sounds, voice sounds) not-comparable
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"In this harsh, petty world where money does the talking, his way of life is like a breath of fresh air."
Etymology
From Middle English breeth, breth, from Old English brǣþ (“odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor”), from Proto-West Germanic *brāþi (“vapour, waft, exhalation, breath”) (compare German Brodem (“haze, vapor; breath”), of a different but related formation).
Related phrases
More for "breath"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.