breathe
/bri:ð/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (Intransitive):
- To inhale and exhale air using the lungs: The fundamental biological process of taking air into the lungs and expelling it.
- To be alive; to live: Used to indicate the state of being a living creature that respires.
- To pause to rest or recover: To take a short break for relaxation.
- (Of air or wind) To move lightly: To blow softly.
- (Of wine) To be exposed to air: To reach full flavor by absorbing air after being uncorked.
- (Of fabric) To allow air to pass through: To permit ventilation.
Verb (Transitive):
- To inhale or exhale (a substance): To take in or expel air, gas, or odor.
- To utter softly; to whisper: To say something very quietly.
- To express; to manifest: To show or exude a particular quality, feeling, or spirit.
- To instill; to impart: To infuse something with new energy or life.
Usage Examples
Intransitive Verb:
- Humans must breathe to stay alive. (The basic biological function.)
- After running, I needed a moment to breathe. (To pause and recover.)
- Let the wine breathe before serving. (To aerate wine.)
- This cotton shirt breathes well in hot weather. (Fabric allowing air passage.)
Transitive Verb:
- She breathed the fresh mountain air deeply. (To inhale air.)
- He breathed a secret to his friend. (To whisper something.)
- Her paintings breathe tranquility. (To manifest a quality.)
- The new manager breathed new life into the project. (To impart new energy.)
Advanced Usage
- "breathe a sigh of relief": To express relief, often audibly.
- When the exam was over, the students breathed a sigh of relief.
- "breathe one's last": A euphemism meaning to die.
- The old man breathed his last surrounded by family.
- "breathe down someone's neck": To watch or follow someone very closely, often in a threatening or pressuring way.
- The boss is breathing down my neck to finish the report.
Variants and Related Words
- Breath (n): The air taken into or expelled from the lungs.
- Take a deep breath.
- Breather (n): A short pause or break for rest.
- Let's take a breather before we continue.
- Breathable (adj): (Of air) fit to breathe; (of fabric) allowing air to pass through.
- The atmosphere is breathable. / A breathable rain jacket.
Synonyms
- Respire: (Formal) To breathe.
- Inhale/Exhale: To breathe in/out.
- Whisper: To utter very softly.
- Infuse: To instill; to fill with a quality.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Breathe in: To inhale.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose.
- Breathe out: To exhale.
- Breathe out completely.
- Breathe into: To give life, energy, or existence to something.
- The artist breathed life into the clay sculpture.
Related Idioms
- "Don't breathe a word": To keep something completely secret; to not tell anyone.
- This is a surprise, so don't breathe a word to anyone.
- "Breathe easy/freely": To relax because a worry or danger has passed.
- Now that the contract is signed, we can breathe easy.
- "Breathe fire": To be very angry; to speak angrily.
- The coach was breathing fire after the team's poor performance.
Verb
- expel (gases or odors)
- 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
- take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
- manifest or evince
- She breathes the Christian spirit
- utter or tell
- not breathe a word
- allow the passage of air through
- Our new synthetic fabric breathes and is perfect for summer wear
- impart as if by breathing
- He breathed new life into the old house
- be alive
- Every creature that breathes
- draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
- I can breathe better when the air is clean
- The patient is respiring