You must be out of breath because of all the running; nonetheless, breathe slowly so your lungs can function properly.

It is quite common to encounter these words on paper, script or on screen and readers can be bewildered as to how to pronounce them. It is normally quite easy to use them while speaking because their pronunciation is quite different and it is rare for someone to mix them together. The meaning for both of them is quite close which makes it important to differentiate them correctly and find their correct usage.

Breath vs breathe – definitions and meanings

Definition of breath

Breath is a noun which points to a complete breathing cycle or the gas we commonly inhale or exhale. Moreover, sometimes it can also refer to a short pause like when we say ‘take a short breath.’ Another idiom is when a person gets surprised and says ‘you took away my breath’ which doesn’t mean he took his breath or killed him literally.

Example sentences of breath

  • It’s so cold that I can see your breath which looks like fog coming out of your mouth.

This sentence means that the person can see the air or smoke coming out of their companion’s mouth because it’s so cold.

  • Your breath stinks so use some mouth freshener.

The person referred to has smelly exhaled air so the one talking is asking him to use some mouth freshener to freshen his mouth.

  • Hold your breath a little longer or you’ll drown, because the water will fill your lungs.

The setting is in a swimming pool or perhaps some other place with water where the adviser is asking his companion to stop the breathing cycle because  if he does inhale, the surrounding water will enter his lungs which will eventually drown him.

Definition of breathe

Breathe is a verb which refers to the action of inhaling air, taking oxygen and finally exhaling out carbon dioxide along with other gases back into the air. There are several idioms associated with breath. Someone can say ‘you’re pile of scarves breathe’, which indirectly means that they have good ventilation. Another example would be ‘to let the vine breathe’ which means let it get exposure to air.

Example sentences of breathe

  • Breathe life into the painting

This figurative phrase means to give life to the painting by adding more depth or colors.

  • He is on a ventilator and the doctors have told me he might not be able to breathe tomorrow.

This sentence is talking about a patient who is put on a breathing device called a ventilator and the doctors have informed the companion that he might not be able to breathe the next day and possibly die.

  • Breathe slowly during yoga if you really want to relax

This sentence advises a person to inhale and exhale slowly during his relaxing yoga classes.

If you’re trying to remember which word is which then pay heed to this advice. The shorter one breath is the noun and the longer one is the verb. Both of them are part of many phrases and idioms of today as you have seen above.