/ briːð; NAmE / verb
AIR / BREATH
1.
to take air into your lungs and send it out again through your nose or mouth :
[ v ]
He breathed deeply before speaking again.
The air was so cold we could hardly breathe.
She was beginning to breathe more easily.
[ vn ]
Most people don't realize that they are breathing polluted air.
2.
[ vn ] to send air, smoke or a particular smell out of your mouth :
He came up close, breathing alcohol fumes all over me.
SAY QUIETLY
3.
( literary ) to say sth quietly :
[ v speech ]
'I'm over here,' she breathed.
[also vn ]
OF WINE
4.
[ v ] if you allow wine to breathe , you open the bottle and let air get in before you drink it
OF CLOTH / SKIN
5.
[ v ] if cloth, leather, skin, etc. can breathe , air can move around or through it :
Cotton clothing allows your skin to breathe.
FEELING / QUALITY
6.
[ vn ] ( formal ) to be full of a particular feeling or quality :
Her performance breathed wit and charm.
•
IDIOMS
- breathe (easily / freely) again
- breathe down sb's neck
- breathe (new) life into sth
- breathe your last
—more at easy adjective , live (I)
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- breathe in
- breathe sth in
- breathe out
- breathe sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense exhale, steam ): from breath .