don't hold your breath

phrase

Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

“- The government says it's going to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren. - Huh, don't hold your breath.”

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Meanings

phrase
  1. idiomaticimperativeDon't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.

    - The government says it's going to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren. - Huh, don't hold your breath.

    1 more example

    Don't hold your breath and don't jump to conclusions, but there is likely to be an announcement about the future of the railways in the next few weeks - [...].

    2021 February 24, Christian Wolmar, “Franchising still exists - under tight Departmental control”, in RAIL, number 925, page 48

Origin

Suggesting that if one were to hold one's breath while waiting for the expected event, one would die before it happened

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 別指望了 /别指望了
  • 別指望了 /别指望了 (bié zhǐwàng le)don't wait
Finnish älä odota liikoja
  • älä odota liikojadon't wait
German da kannst du lange drauf warten, darauf kannst du lange warten
  • da kannst du lange drauf wartendon't wait
  • darauf kannst du lange wartendon't wait
  • darauf können Sie lange wartendon't wait
Italian ce n'è da aspettare
  • ce n'è da aspettaredon't wait
Portuguese espera sentado, podes esperar sentado
  • espera sentadodon't wait
  • podes esperar sentadodon't wait
  • podes tirar o cavalinho da chuvadon't wait
Russian держи́ карма́н ши́ре /lit: hold your pocket wider/, раскати́л губу́ /lit: you've unrolled your lip/
  • держи́ карма́н ши́ре /lit: hold your pocket wider/ (derží karmán šíre)don't wait
  • раскати́л губу́ /lit: you've unrolled your lip/ (raskatíl gubú)don't wait
Spanish espera sentado
  • espera sentadodon't wait
Cite this entry
APA

don't hold your breath. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/don't%20hold%20your%20breath

MLA

“don't hold your breath.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/don't%20hold%20your%20breath. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “don't hold your breath,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/don't%20hold%20your%20breath.

Source: don't hold your breath on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.