Definition of Breathe

1. Verb. Draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs. "The patient is respiring"


2. Verb. Be alive. "Every creature that breathes"
Generic synonyms: Exist, Live, Subsist, Survive

3. Verb. Impart as if by breathing. "He breathed new life into the old house"
Generic synonyms: Instill, Transfuse

4. Verb. Allow the passage of air through. "Our new synthetic fabric breathes and is perfect for summer wear"
Generic synonyms: Be

5. Verb. Utter or tell. "Not breathe a word"

6. Verb. Manifest or evince. "She breathes the Christian spirit"
Generic synonyms: Convey

7. Verb. Take a short break from one's activities in order to relax. "Sam and Sue breathe"
Exact synonyms: Catch One's Breath, Rest, Take A Breather
Generic synonyms: Break, Intermit, Pause
Derivative terms: Breather, Breathing, Rest, Rester

8. Verb. Reach full flavor by absorbing air and being let to stand after having been uncorked. ; "This rare Bordeaux must be allowed to breathe for at least 2 hours"
Generic synonyms: Oxidate, Oxidise, Oxidize

9. Verb. Expel (gases or odors).
Exact synonyms: Emit, Pass Off
Specialized synonyms: Belch, Bubble, Burp, Eruct, Force Out, Emanate, Exhale, Give Forth, Radiate, Bubble
Generic synonyms: Discharge, Eject, Exhaust, Expel, Release
Derivative terms: Emission

Definition of Breathe

1. v. i. To respire; to inhale and exhale air; hence;, to live.

2. v. t. To inhale and exhale in the process of respiration; to respire.

Definition of Breathe

1. Verb. (intransitive) To repeatedly draw air into, and expel it from, the lungs in order to extract oxygen from it and excrete waste products. ¹

2. Verb. (intransitive) To exchange gases with the environment. ¹

3. Verb. (intransitive now rare) To rest; to stop and catch one's breath. ¹

4. Verb. (intransitive) Figuratively, to be relaxed or calm. ¹

5. Verb. (intransitive) Figuratively, to live. ¹

6. Verb. (transitive) To repeatedly draw (something) into, and expel (that thing) from, the lungs. ¹

7. Verb. (transitive) To whisper quietly. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Breathe

1. to inhale and exhale air [v BREATHED, BREATHING, BREATHES]

Medical Definition of Breathe

1. 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." 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. 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 Origin: 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. 1. To respire; to inhale and exhale air; hence, to live. "I am in health, I breathe." "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) Origin: From Breath. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Breathe

breathalyse
breathalysed
breathalyser
breathalysers
breathalyses
breathalysing
breathalyze
breathalyzed
breathalyzer
breathalyzers
breathalyzes
breathalyzing
breatharian
breatharianism
breatharians
breathe a sigh of relief
breathe down someone's neck
breathe easy
breathe in
breathe out
breathed
breathed in
breathed out
breather
breathers
breathes
breathes in
breathes out
breathest

Literary usage of Breathe

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Paradise Lost: A Poem in Twelve Books by John Milton (1750)
"... we breathe in other air Lefs pure, ... are not only proper __ how (hal] we breathe ^ ^ „ in them particularly foft and wo- wfa, ..."

2. The Complete Works of Gustave Flaubert: Embracing Romances, Travels by Gustave Flaubert, Ferdinand Brunetière (1904)
"... Then they went into the Tuileries garden, so as to be able to breathe more freely. They sat down on a bench; and they remained for some minutes with ..."

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