take a breath

verb

to inhale and subsequently exhale air

Similar
breatherespiresuspire
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Meanings

verbtake a breath (third-person singular simple present takes a breath, present participle taking a breath, simple past took a breath, past participle taken a breath)

present singular third person takes a breath · participle present taking a breath · past took a breath · participle past taken a breath

  1. idiomaticto inhale and subsequently exhale air

    She paused and took a defiant breath. ‘If you don't believe me, I can't help it. But I'm not a liar.’

    1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 15, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC
  2. idiomaticto pause or rest after strenuous activity
  3. idiomaticto calm down

Synonyms & antonyms

verbdraw air into, and expel out of, the lungs

Similar
breatherespiresuspire
Broader
actmove
Also see
breatherespiresuspire

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Māori whakangā
  • whakangāto inhale especially after strenuous activity
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: take a breath on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.