Breath | Mean of breath in English Dictionary

/ˈbrɛθ/

• Noun
• the air that you take into your lungs and send out from your lungs when you breathe
1. gum that freshens your breath
2. His breath smells like garlic. = He has garlic breath.
3. It's so cold outside that I can see my breath.
4. We could smell the alcohol on his breath. [=his breath smelled of alcohol]
5. He has bad breath. [=breath that smells unpleasant]
6. Would you like a breath mint? [=a candy used to make breath smell better]
• the ability to breathe freely
1. He was fighting/struggling for breath. [=he was having a lot of difficulty breathing]
2. My mad dash for the bus left me gasping for breath.
3. Give me a moment to catch my breath.
4. I'm a little out of breath from walking up all those stairs.
5. The patient complains that he's short of breath.
6. The doctor asked if I had been experiencing shortness of breath lately.
• an amount of air that you take into your lungs
1. I took/drew a long breath before speaking again.
2. The patient was only able to take shallow breaths. [=only able to take in small amounts of air]
3. Take a deep breath. [=breathe deeply; take a lot of air into your lungs]
4. (US) I've barely had time to (stop and/to) take a breath since they got here. = (Brit) I've barely had time to draw breath since they got here. [=I have not been able to pause and rest]
5. She recited the whole list in one breath. [=she recited it without stopping to breathe]
6. her last/dying breath [=the breath that she took just before she died]
7. It's unusual to hear “promotions” mentioned in the same breath as “layoffs.”
8. She praises their work, then criticizes them in the next breath. [=then immediately criticizes them]
9. He begged her to go with him, but she told him he was wasting his breath.
10. You're not going to get him to stop drinking, so don't waste your breath.

• a slight breeze
1. a hot day with scarcely a breath of wind
• a very small amount of something
1. a faint breath [=hint] of scandal
2. There was never even the slightest breath [=suggestion] of suspicion.
• clean or cool outside air after you have been in a building for a period of time
1. We went outside to get a breath of fresh air.
• someone or something that is different in a way that is interesting, exciting, enjoyable, etc.
1. His unusual outlook is a breath of fresh air.
2. After dealing for so long with a difficult boss, our new supervisor is a breath of fresh air.
• to keep the air that you have breathed in your lungs for a short time instead of breathing out
1. How long can you hold your breath?