FluentPlex

breathe

/bɹið/ verb A1
  1. To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. (intransitive)
  2. To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way. (intransitive) · Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
  3. To inhale (a gas) to sustain life. (transitive) · While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
  4. To live. (figuratively, intransitive) · I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe.
  5. To draw something into the lungs. (transitive) · Try not to breathe too much smoke.
  6. To expel air from the lungs, exhale. (intransitive) · If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
  7. To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath. (transitive) · The flowers breathed a heady perfume.
  8. To give an impression of, to exude. (transitive) · The decor positively breathes classical elegance.

Plural breathe · He/she/it breathes · Past breathed · Past participle breathed · -ing form breathing

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Verb forms

Base form
breathe
He/she/it
breathes
Past
breathed
Past participle
breathed
-ing form
breathing

From the library

“I can hardly breathe.”
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, p. 87 · B2
The cubs were out, but Mother Wolf, at the back of the cave, knew by his breathing that something was troubling her frog.
The Jungle Book, p. 19 · B2
There was no mistaking her sincerity--it breathed in every tone of her voice.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 75 · C1
“Thanks be to goodness for that,” breathed Marilla in devout relief.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 80 · C1

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.