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BREATH
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
Example:
he was fighting to his last breath
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("breath" is a kind of...):
activity; bodily function; bodily process; body process (an organic process that takes place in the body)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "breath"):
breathing out; exhalation; expiration (the act of expelling air from the lungs)
aspiration; breathing in; inhalation; inspiration; intake (the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An indirect suggestion
Example:
not a breath of scandal ever touched her
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("breath" is a kind of...):
proffer; proposition; suggestion (a proposal offered for acceptance or rejection)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A slight movement of the air
Example:
there wasn't a breath of air in the room
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("breath" is a kind of...):
air; breeze; gentle wind; zephyr (a slight wind (usually refreshing))
Sense 4
Meaning:
The air that is inhaled and exhaled in respiration
Example:
his sour breath offended her
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("breath" is a kind of...):
air (a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "breath"):
exhalation; halitus (exhaled breath)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A short respite
Synonyms:
breath; breather; breathing place; breathing space; breathing spell; breathing time
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Hypernyms ("breath" is a kind of...):
relief; respite; rest; rest period (a pause for relaxation)
Context examples:
These can be accompanied by physical symptoms including chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness or abdominal distress.
(The Mechanism of Panic Attacks, NIH, US)
When evening came, and the dwarfs had gone home, they found Snowdrop lying on the ground: no breath came from her lips, and they were afraid that she was quite dead.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Growing from her shoulders were wings, gorgeous in color and so light that they fluttered if the slightest breath of air reached them.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
This took my breath away. ‘I never heard of it,’ said I.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“A healthy young slip of a gale from the breath iv it, sir,” he answered, “with a splatter iv rain just to wet our gills an’ no more.”
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
The voice faded away into a deep breath as of one sleeping, and the open eyes closed again.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Sometimes the languid sea rose over him and he dreamed long dreams; but ever through it all, waking and dreaming, he waited for the wheezing breath and the harsh caress of the tongue.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
Then I caught my breath as I read the time-honoured title of the great nobleman and statesman whose wife she had been.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I paced up and down the room, humming a tune under my breath to keep up my spirits and feeling that I was thoroughly earning my fifty-guinea fee.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
You may be short of breath or have a headache.
(Anemia, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
