1. The process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
   "he took a deep breath and dived into the pool"; "he was fighting to his last breath"
    
2. The air that is inhaled and exhaled in respiration
   "his sour breath offended her"
    
3. Air in the lungs, esp. as required to breath and function normally
   "the collision knocked the breath out of him";
   - wind
    
4. A short respite
   "The team took a breath between matches";
   - breather [informal], breathing space, breathing spell
    
5. A slight movement of the air
   "there wasn't a breath of air in the room"
    
6. An indirect suggestion
   "not a breath of scandal ever touched her";
   - hint, intimation
    
7. A musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by bellows or the human breath
   "The flute is a breath instrument";
   - wind instrument, wind

Derived forms: breaths

Type of: activity, air, bodily function, bodily process, body process, breathing out, breeze, exhalation, expiration, gentle wind, instrument, musical instrument, proffer, proposition, relief, respite, rest, rest period, suggestion, zephyr

Encyclopedia: Breath, Eyes, Memory