breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər 

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

• pause
• lull
• breath
• break

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

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Those of us who love her were able to finally take a breather on this one when the film bros eventually shut up and were able to admit that Hathaway totally whips ass in this franchise closer. —Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026

Jokic stayed in the game to start the fourth quarter as Adelman felt the margin for error was narrow enough that his star player couldn’t be lent a breather. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026

So, while in Taurus, Mercury slows down and takes a breather. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026

But in the case of screenwriter Jeremy Robbins, receiving an involuntary breather from the breakneck pace of TV writers’ rooms provided him the runway to write a spec feature script called Apex. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing breather

• mouth breather

Rhymes for breather

• either
• neither

Kids Definition

breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər 

1

: one that breathes

2

: a pause for rest : break

Medical Definition

breather

noun

breath·​er ˈbrē-t͟hər 

: one that breathes usually in a specified way see mouth breather