Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

breathe down someone's neck

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English

Syllables
breathe -down -some-one's -neck
IPA
40
Scrabble Score
23
Letters
5
Syllables
14
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To follow or supervise someone too closely, causing discomfort for that person.

Example Sentences

Inflected Forms

breathes down someone's neck (present, singular) breathing down someone's neck (participle, present) breathed down someone's neck (participle, past) breathed down someone's neck (past)

Phrases

cramp one's style

Frequently Paired Words

cramp one's style

Questions

What does breathe down someone's neck mean?
To follow or supervise someone too closely, causing discomfort for that person.

How to pronounce breathe down someone's neck

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “breathe down someone's neck”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “breathe down someone's neck”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “breathe down someone's neck” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.