breath
$ \mathrm{breath} /breθ/
1 uncountable the air that you take into your lungs and send out again His breath smelt of garlic.
bad breath (= that smells bad)
She was very short of breath (= had difficulty breathing).
Patients develop a cough and shortness of breath.
There was a sharp intake of breath in the courtroom.
We had to stop for breath before we got to the top.
While there is breath left in my body, I will refuse.
He came up out of the water gasping for breath.
His breath came in short gasps.
I could smell gin on her breath.
I felt a bit short of breath and had to sit down.
She could feel his warm breath against her cheek.
She poured out her story, hardly pausing for breath.
Smoking gives you bad breath.
2 countable an amount of air that enters the lungs at one time Take a deep breath and try to relax.
He recited the whole poem in one breath.
He sucked in a deep breath.
3 singular breath of something (formal) a small amount of something; slight evidence of something a breath of suspicion/scandal
4 singular a breath of air/wind (literary) a slight movement of air It was a still day, without a breath of wind.
Collocations
adjective
verb + breath
breath + verb
come in gasps, pants, puffs, etc.
preposition
on somebody’s breath
out of breath
under your breath…
phrases
a breath of fresh air
an intake of breath
in the same breath…