take someone's breath away

verb

To make a person feel emotionally moved in a pleasant way.

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Meanings

verbtake someone's breath away (third-person singular simple present takes someone's breath away, present participle taking someone's breath away, simple past took someone's breath away, past participle taken someone's breath away)

present singular third person takes someone's breath away · participle present taking someone's breath away · past took someone's breath away · participle past taken someone's breath away

  1. idiomaticTo make a person feel emotionally moved in a pleasant way.

    A faded photograph / I mailed to you / With feelings I don't want to face / And a love song of surrender in blue / I remember when you took my breath away.

    1978, Bionic Boogie, “Hot Butterfly”, in Gregg Diamond Bionic Boogie – Hot Butterfly (performed by Luther Vandross)

Translations

Finnish salvata henki
  • salvata henkiTranslations
French couper le souffle
  • couper le souffleTranslations
German jemandem den Atem verschlagen
  • jemandem den Atem verschlagenTranslations
Italian togliere il fiato
  • togliere il fiatoTranslations
Polish zapierać dech, zapierać dech w piersiach
  • zapierać dechTranslations
  • zapierać dech w piersiachTranslations
Portuguese tirar o fôlego
  • tirar o fôlegoTranslations
Russian захва́тывать дух
  • захва́тывать дух (zaxvátyvatʹ dux)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: take someone's breath away on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.