Breathe a word definition

breathe a word

To share information that is supposed to be kept secret. Often used in the negative to encourage silence. And if you breathe a word of this to the cops, we’ll come after you. I was told not to breathe a word, but I knew I had to tell someone about such serious allegations.

(not) breathe a ˈword (about/of something) (to somebody)

(not) tell somebody something, especially something secret: Please don’t breathe a word of this to anyone.

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb[edit]

breathe a word (third-person singular simple present breathes a word, present participle breathing a word, simple past and past participle breathed a word)

(idiomatic, chiefly in the negative) To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).

I warn you not to breathe a word of this to anyone, or else!

Translations[edit]

Translations

Finnish: hiiskua sanallakaan
French: ne souffler mot (fr)
German: ein Wort verlieren

Anagrams[edit]

weatherboard

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Источник

Collins

1 to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp. air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire

2 intr to exist; be alive
every animal that breathes on earth

3 intr to rest to regain breath, composure, etc.
stop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe

4 intr (esp. of air) to blow lightly
the wind breathed through the trees

a to take in air, esp. for combustion
the engine breathes through this air filter

b to equalize the pressure within a container, chamber, etc., with atmospheric pressure
the crankcase breathes through this duct

6    tr     (Phonetics)   to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cords
   Compare     →
  voice     →
  19

7 to exhale or emit
the dragon breathed fire

8 tr to impart; instil
to breathe confidence into the actors

9 tr to speak softly; whisper
to breathe words of love

10 tr to permit to rest
to breathe a horse

11 intr (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate

12   ♦
breathe again, freely or easily   to feel relief
I could breathe again after passing the exam

13 ♦
breathe down (someone’s) neck o stay close to (someone), esp. to oversee what they are doing

14   ♦
breathe one’s last   to die or be finished or defeated
     (C13: from breath)

English Collins Dictionary — English Definition & Thesaurus

Collaborative Dictionary English Definition


sound out (a word)	v.	to say, pronounce, speak	ex.: The child sounded out each word out loud as she read her book.
portmanteau word	n.	a new word formed by joining together two others and combining their meanings. Examples: brunch, camcorder, carjack, motel, greenwash, smog, workaholic.
smackeroo	n.	colloquial word for a dollar
charver	n.	charver is another word for chav	If you lived in Newcastle you would know it. Common in NE England
! Momasita	n.	An endearing word for mom.
the f-word	n.	euphemism referring to the word «fuck»
! kerned yoghourt	v.	kerned is a Somerset word meaning ‘thickened’
the n-word	n.	euphemism referring to the taboo word «nigger»
ship	n.	An abbreviation of the word ‘relationship.’ The word describes fans’ approval of fictional or desired romances between characters or pop culture figures.	Example: I totally ship Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis	n.	artificial long word coined to mean a lung disease known as silicosis, a type of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of ultra-microscopic particles of crystalline silica volcanic dust. It has the particularity of being the longest word in the English language published in a dictionary	Longer tech. terms exist (up to 189,819 letters!).The word, presumably coined in 1935 by E.M. Smith (pres. of the National Puzzlers’League) in imitation of very long medical terms, contains 45 letters
bung	n.	a colloquial word meaning a bribe: policemen accepting bungs from journalists
grawlix	n.	string of symbols used instead of an obscene word (ex.: #!@*)
Lesewut	n.	Lesewut is a German word for «reading craze» (literally) used to describe a specific period in the intellectual history of Germany from the late eighteenth century onward.
gazunder	n.	a humorous and old-fashioned word that means a chamber pot	Comes from the fact that the chamber pot ‘gazunder’ (= goes under) the bed
! cromulent	adj.	originally a made-up word from The Simpsons meaning ‘fine’ or ‘acceptable’
the c-word	n.	euphemism used to refer to the taboo word «cunt»
employerism	n.	a portmanteau of ’employer’ and ‘voyeurism’. signifies the act of searching for an employer or the practice of an employer when looking to fill positions. The term places an emphasis on the secretive connotation of the word ‘voyeur’, denoting a clandestine and thus superior form of employment search	[Tech.] Ex.: Employerism is what one must engage in, if one wishes to embark upon a more productive job hunt!
! automagically	adv.	Supernaturally performed from force of habit or without conscious thought; a portmanteau word formed from «automatically» and «magically»	Wherever he went, flowers automagically materialized in the hands of all nearby women.

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Источник

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Examples
British
Idioms And Phrases

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

verb (used without object), breathed [breethd], /briðd/, breath·ing.

to take air, oxygen, etc., into the lungs and expel it; inhale and exhale; respire.

(in speech) to control the outgoing breath in producing voice and speech sounds.

to pause, as for breath or rest: How about giving me a chance to breathe?

to move gently or blow lightly, as air.

to live; exist: Hardly a person breathes who has not known great sorrow.

to be redolent or suggestive: a poem breathing of the sights and sounds of a rustic life.

(of a material) to allow air and moisture to pass through easily: The jacket is comfortable because the fabric breathes.

(of the skin) to absorb oxygen and give off perspiration.

(of a wine) to be exposed to air after being uncorked, in order to develop flavor and bouquet.

verb (used with object), breathed [breethd], /briðd/, breath·ing.

to inhale and exhale in respiration.

to exhale: Dragons breathe fire.

to inject as if by breathing; infuse: She breathed life into the party.

to give utterance to; whisper: She breathed a prayer of thanks when everyone escaped the fire unharmed.

to express; manifest: This coming-of-age novel breathes the torments and joys of adolescence.

to allow to rest or recover breath: After this next hill, we should breathe the horses.

QUIZ

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Idioms about breathe

breathe down someone’s neck,

to be close to someone in pursuit; menace; threaten: Police from four states were breathing down his neck.
to watch someone closely so as to supervise or control: If everyone keeps breathing down my neck, how can I get my work done?

breathe freely, to have relief from anxiety, tension, or pressure: Now that the crisis was over, he could breathe freely.Also breathe easily, breathe easy.

breathe one’s last, to die: He breathed his last and was buried in the churchyard.

not breathe a word / syllable, to maintain secrecy; keep a matter confidential: I’ll tell you if you promise not to breathe a word.

Origin of breathe

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English brethe, brethen, breeth, derivative of breath

OTHER WORDS FROM breathe

out·breathe, verb (used with object), out·breathed, out·breath·ing.pre·breathe, verb (used with object), pre·breathed, pre·breath·ing.

Words nearby breathe

breathalyse, Breathalyser, Breathalyzer, breath analyzer, breatharian, breathe, breathed, breathe down someone’s neck, breathe easy, breathe life into, breathe one’s last

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to breathe

exhale, inhale, sigh, infuse, inject, expire, fan, gasp, gulp, insufflate, pant, puff, respire, scent, sniff, snore, snort, wheeze, imbue, impart

How to use breathe in a sentence

You can find chemicals in the soil under your feet, in the food you eat and in the air you breathe.
Twelve of the 26, including two of the four with signs of inflamed hearts, reported mild symptoms during their infection, such as fever, sore throat, muscle aches and difficulty breathing.
I keep thinking it can’t get any harder to breathe, and somehow it still does.
In the future, there’ll probably be plenty of opportunities to breathe on each other again.

The less that people can breathe into each other’s faces, the better.
“But I could breathe freely only when the plane took off,” she told me.
I could not breathe…. When I would pass out, they would shake me and begin again.
JUDNICK: My reaction is so visceral that I immediately, like you, isolate myself so I can breathe.
It’s amazing to think that someone in another country might provide you with 140 characters that allow you to breathe.
The time for remorse was when my husband was yelling to breathe!
Men’s lives are as thoroughly blended with each other as the air they breathe: evil spreads as necessarily as disease.
Still, if such an envelope should be handed him, he would breathe easier until it was opened.
A dead silence followed; for a minute—several minutes neither seemed to breathe.
He makes a spiritual form of it so perfectly visible to your inward eye, that it seems as if you could almost hear it breathe!
At last two are successful, and the monster, hardly able to breathe, stands quiet and still.

British Dictionary definitions for breathe

verb

to take in oxygen from (the surrounding medium, esp air) and give out carbon dioxide; respire

(intr) to exist; be aliveevery animal that breathes on earth

(intr) to rest to regain breath, composure, etcstop your questions, and give me a chance to breathe

(intr) (esp of air) to blow lightlythe wind breathed through the trees

(intr) machinery

to take in air, esp for combustionthe engine breathes through this air filter
to equalize the pressure within a container, chamber, etc, with atmospheric pressurethe crankcase breathes through this duct

(tr) phonetics to articulate (a speech sound) without vibration of the vocal cordsCompare voice (def. 19)

to exhale or emitthe dragon breathed fire

(tr) to impart; instilto breathe confidence into the actors

(tr) to speak softly; whisperto breathe words of love

(tr) to permit to restto breathe a horse

(intr) (of a material) to allow air to pass through so that perspiration can evaporate

breathe again, breathe freely or breathe easily to feel reliefI could breathe again after passing the exam

breathe down someone’s neck to stay close to someone, esp to oversee what they are doingthe cops are breathing down my neck

breathe one’s last to die or be finished or defeated

Word Origin for breathe

C13: from breath

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with breathe

In addition to the idioms beginning with breathe

breathe down someone’s neck
breathe easy
breathe life into
breathe one’s last

also see:

as I live and breathe
breathing space
not breathe a word

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Источник

intransitive verb

: to draw air into and expel it from the lungs : respire

broadly

: to take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide through natural processes

: to inhale and exhale freely

: to pause and rest before continuing

: to feel free of restraint

: to permit passage of air or vapor

of an internal combustion engine

: to use air to support combustion

: to be cooled or dried by air that passes by or through

clothing that allows your skin to breathe

of wine

: to develop flavor and bouquet by exposure to air

: to become perceptible : be expressed

a personality that breathes and that distinguishes his work—Bennett Schiff

transitive verb

: to send out by exhaling

: to instill by or as if by breathing

breathe new life into the movement

: to take in in breathing

breathe the scent of pines

: to give rest from exertion to

: to spend a great deal of time, thought, or effort on (something) : to be wholly devoted to (some interest or activity)

The Virginia native may not breathe basketball 24-7 … but during games and practice, his focus is second to none.—Robbi Pickeral

As with visiting companies, one of the key reasons for going to conferences is to avoid the tunnel vision that can overcome managers who live and breathe their business.—Leslie Brokaw

Phrases

breathe down one’s neck

: to threaten especially in attack or pursuit

: to keep one under close or constant surveillance

parents always breathing down his neck

breathe easy

or breathe easier
or breathe easily
or breathe freely

: to enjoy relief (as from pressure or danger)

Synonyms

Example Sentences

No one was more grief-stricken by Lincoln’s assassination than Stanton, who spoke the imperishable words as the president breathed his last: «Now he belongs to the ages.»

—James M. McPherson, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 2005

… The tinder burned all right, but that was as far as I got. I blew on it, I breathed on it, I cupped it in my hands, but no sooner did I add twigs than the whole thing went black.

—Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain, (1959) 2001

However, liquid nitrogen is not used for higher levels of fog because breathing this substance is unsafe. Dry ice is a safer material, and can be used either at ground level or higher.

—Patricia D. Netzley, Encylopedia Of Movie Special Effects, 2000

Earth is surrounded by a life-giving gaseous envelope called the atmosphere. This thin blanket of air is an integral part of the planet. It not only provides the air that we breathe but also acts to protect us from the dangerous radiation emitted by the Sun.

—Frederick K. Lutgens et al., The Atmosphere, 1979/2001

He was breathing hard from running.

The patient suddenly stopped breathing.

I can hardly breathe with all this smoke.

He wants to live where he can breathe clean air.

a dragon that breathes fire

People usually contract the virus by breathing contaminated air.

Breathe deeply and then exhale.

I’ll never give up as long as I’m still breathing.

a living, breathing human being

Recent Examples on the Web

For Windom, known for his work as a choreographer, the challenge is to breathe animation into that verse, to give the words physical form.

—Chris Vognar, Chron, 23 Mar. 2023

Tennessee likes to get underneath the chest of its opponents, depriving them of any room to breathe.

—Michael Arinze, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2023

The designers of the new exhibit had that feeling in mind, too: The paintings are given plenty of room to breathe.

—Anne Pinto-rodrigues, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Mar. 2023

All bets are off when a man is rolled into the ER, unable to breathe.

—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 17 Mar. 2023

However, like many dog breeds, French Bulldogs are prone to certain health problems, including those that affect their ability to breathe.

—Leah Asmelash, CNN, 15 Mar. 2023

McKeithan said her daughter is now able to breathe on her own, though she is still attached to a ventilator for assistance, per the report.

—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2023

Heavy chemical smells were detectable long after authorities said the air was safe to breathe.

—Andrea Salcedo, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2023

Facing potentially deadly air quality outside, wealthier Indians are paying to breathe free, creating a booming market for air purifiers that is forecast to grow 35 percent to $597 million by 2027.

—WIRED, 8 Mar. 2023

See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘breathe.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English brethen, from breth — see breath

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of breathe was
in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near breathe

Cite this Entry

“Breathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breathe. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on breathe

Last Updated:
26 Mar 2023
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Merriam-Webster unabridged

Источник

breathe a word

(not) breathe a ˈword (about/of something) (to somebody)

Contents

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Idioms about breathe

Origin of breathe

OTHER WORDS FROM breathe

Words nearby breathe

Words related to breathe

How to use breathe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for breathe

Word Origin for breathe

Other Idioms and Phrases with breathe

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near breathe

Cite this Entry

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