/bri:ð; brið/
v
1 [I] take air into the lungs and send it out again 呼吸
*People breathe more slowly when they are asleep. 人睡觉时呼吸比较缓慢.
* She's still breathing, ie still alive. 她仍在呼吸（还活着）.
* He was breathing hard/heavily after racing for the train. 他跑着赶上火车以後, 吃力地喘着气.
2 [Ip, Tn, Tn.p] ~ in/out; ~ sth (in/out) take (air, etc) into or send (it) out of the lungs 吸入或呼出（空气等）
*The doctor told me to breathe in and then breathe out (again) slowly. 医生叫我吸气然後（再）慢慢地呼出.
* It's good to breathe (in) fresh country air instead of city smoke. 呼吸乡间的新鲜空气而不吸入城市的烟尘是有益的.
3 [Tn] say (sth) softly; whisper 轻声说（某事）; 低语
*breathe loving words in sb's ear 在某人耳边低语情话
* breathe a threat 低声说出恐吓的话.
4 show that one is full of (a feeling); exude 表示充满（感情）; 流露
*The team breathed confidence before the match. 该队在比赛前显得很有信心.
5 (idm 习语) (be able to) breathe (easily/freely) again feel calm or relieved after a period of tension, fear or exertion; relax （在一度紧张、恐惧或努力之後）恢复平静或安下心来; 松口气
*Now my debts are paid I can breathe again. 现在我已还清欠债, 可以松口气了. breathe down sb's `neck (infml 口) be close behind sb (eg in a race); watch sb (too) closely 随後紧跟某人（如赛跑中）; 紧紧盯住（某人）
*I can't concentrate with you breathing down my neck. 你这样紧紧盯着我, 使我精神无法集中. (not) breathe a `word (of/about sth) (to sb) (not) tell sb sth (esp a secret); (not) reveal sth to sb （不）告诉某人某事（尤指秘密）; （不）向某人透露某事
*Promise me you won't breathe a word of this to anyone. 答应我别将此事泄漏给任何人. breathe one's `last (fml euph 文, 婉) die 断气.
6 (phr v) breathe sth into sb/sth fill (a person or group) with (a feeling) 使（某人或团体）充满（某种感情）
*The new manager has breathed fresh life into (ie revitalized) the company. 新经理给公司带来了朝气.

v

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1【air】
2【blow】
3 somebody can breathe easy/easily
4 breathe a sigh of relief
5 be breathing down somebody's neck
6 not breathe a word
7 breathe life into something
8【skin】
9【clothes/fabric】
10【wine】
11【say something quietly】
12 breathe your last (breath)
13 breathe fire
Phrasal verbs
　breathe in
　breathe out

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[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: breath]
【AIR】 [I and T]
to take air into your lungs and send it out again
　The room filled with smoke, and it was becoming difficult to breathe.
　People are concerned about the quality of the air they breathe.
　Relax and breathe deeply (=take in a lot of air) .
【BLOW】 [I and T]
to blow air or smoke out of your mouth
breathe on
　Roy breathed on his hands and rubbed them together vigorously.
breathe sth over sb
　The fat man opposite was breathing garlic all over me.
sb can breathe easy/easily
used when saying that someone can relax because a worrying or dangerous situation has ended
　With stocks going up, investors can breathe easily.
breathe a sigh of relief
to stop being worried or frightened about something
　Once the deadline passed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
be breathing down sb's neckinformal
to pay very close attention to what someone is doing in a way that makes them feel nervous or annoyed
　How can I concentrate with you breathing down my neck all the time?
not breathe a word
to not tell anyone anything at all about something, because it is a secret
　Don't breathe a word; it's supposed to be a surprise.
breathe life into sth
to change a situation so that people feel more excited or interested
　Critics are hoping the young director can breathe new life into the French film industry.
【SKIN】 [I]
if your skin can breathe, air can reach it
【CLOTHES/FABRIC】 [I]
if cloth or clothing breathes, air can pass through it so that your body feels pleasantly cool and dry
【WINE】 [I]
if you let wine breathe, you open the bottle to let the air get to it before you drink it
【SAY SOMETHING QUIETLY】 [T]
written to say something very quietly, almost in a whisper
　'Wait,' he breathed.
breathe your last (breath)
literary to die
breathe fire
to talk and behave in a very angry way
→live and breathe sthatlive¹ (19)
breathe inphr v
to take air into your lungs
　The doctor made me breathe in while he listened to my chest.
breathe sth⇔in
　Wyatt breathed in the cool ocean air.
breathe outphr v
to send air out from your lungs
　Jim breathed out deeply.
breathe sth⇔out
　Lauren lit up a cigarette, then breathed out a puff of smoke.

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WORD FOCUS: breathe
to breathe in: inhale(formal)
to breathe out: exhale(formal)
to breathe noisily: sniff, snore (=when sleeping)
snort, sigh
to breathe with difficulty: gasp, pant, wheeze, be short of breath, be out of breath
to be unable to breathe: choke, suffocate
See also: respiration, lung

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