breathe a word

verb

To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).

“I warn you not to breathe a word of this to anyone, or else!”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbbreathe a word (third-person singular simple present breathes a word, present participle breathing a word, simple past and past participle breathed a word)

present singular third person breathes a word · participle present breathing a word · participle past breathed a word · past breathed a word

  1. idiomaticTo divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).

    I warn you not to breathe a word of this to anyone, or else!

Translations

Finnish hiiskua sanallakaan
  • hiiskua sanallakaanTranslations
French ne souffler mot
  • ne souffler motTranslations
German ein Wort verlieren
  • ein Wort verlierenTranslations
Polish pisnąć słowo
  • pisnąć słowoTranslations
Tamil மூச்சுவிடு
  • மூச்சுவிடு (mūccuviṭu)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

breathe a word. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breathe%20a%20word

MLA

“breathe a word.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breathe%20a%20word. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “breathe a word,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breathe%20a%20word.

Source: breathe a word on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.