breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər How to pronounce breather (audio)
Synonyms of breathernext
1
: one that breathes
2
: a break in activity for rest or relief
3
: a small vent in an otherwise airtight enclosure

Synonyms of breather

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of breather in a Sentence

He decided to give them a breather. took a breather from the seemingly endless task of sorting through years of stuff stored in the attic
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This strategy also gives you space to address any mishaps and take a breather before guests arrive. — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 The Nasdaq was up more than 1% Wednesday after taking a breather in the prior session. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 Still, Zelensky has floated the idea that such an election could take place only if Ukraine could be given a breather to safely send voters to the ballot box. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 After recovering from a health crisis and reaping millions from Rapportive’s sale to LinkedIn, Vohra had all the reason to take a breather from business. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for breather

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of breather was in 1609

Phrases Containing breather

Rhymes for breather

See All Rhymes for breather

Browse Nearby Words

breathe one's last
breather
breathe to
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breather. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

breather

noun
breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər How to pronounce breather (audio)
1
: one that breathes
2
: a pause for rest : break

Medical Definition

breather

noun
breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər How to pronounce breather (audio)
: one that breathes usually in a specified way see mouth breather
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All