Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

breathing

/ˈbɹiðɪŋ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.28 in modern English

Syllables: breath-ing
IPA: /ˈbɹiðɪŋ/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

verbal noun of breathe: (uncountable) The act of respiration; (countable) a single instance of this.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A diacritical mark indicating aspiration or lack thereof.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Time to recover one's breath; hence, a delay, a spell of time.

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Aspiration; secret prayer.

Countable; Uncountable

adj

Having life; living; alive.

verb

present participle and gerund of breathe

Example Sentences

"[…] their breathings, cryings, and excretings would have been damaged […]"
"DON PEDRO. Count Claudio, when mean you to go to church? / CLAUDIO. To-morrow, my lord. Time goes on crutches till love have all his rites. / LEONATO. Not till Monday, my dear son, which is hence a just seven-night; and a time too brief too, to have all things answer my mind. / DON PEDRO. Come, you shake the head at so long a breathing; but, I warrant thee, Claudio, the time shall not go dully by us."
"the breathings of the Holy Spirit"
"Let us then begin Heaven here, in the Frame and Temper of our Minds, in our heavenly Affections and Converſation; in a due Prepation for, and in earneſt Deſires and Breathings after that bleſſed State vvhich vve firmly believe and aſſuredly hope to be one day poſſeſſed of: […]"
"Elantris is quite an exceptional read, a wonderfully rich world of living breathing characters, great plot, and some very original ideas."

Etymology

Etymology tree Middle English breethder. Middle English brethen English breathe Proto-Germanic *-ungō Old English -ung Middle English -ynge English -ing English breathing From breathe + -ing.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbɹiðɪŋ/
British English: /ˈbɹiːðɪŋ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

breathings (plural)

Derived Forms

mouthbreathing overbreathing

Phrases

444 breathing abdominodiaphragmatic breathing accessory breathing base-pair breathing belly breathing box breathing breathing apparatus breathing cave

Synonyms

respiration ventilation eupneic eupnoeic external respiration

Rhymes With

seething teething sheathing

Questions

How do you pronounce breathing?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹiðɪŋ/.
What does breathing mean?: verbal noun of breathe: (uncountable) The act of respiration; (countable) a single instance of this.
Where does breathing come from?: Etymology tree Middle English breethder. Middle English brethen English breathe Proto-Germanic *-ungō Old English -ung Middle English -ynge English -ing English breathing From breathe + -ing.

How to pronounce breathing

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “breathing”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɹiðɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “breathing”.
Repeat and practice — Say “breathing” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.