as in pause
a momentary halt in an activity
took a breather from the seemingly endless task of sorting through years of stuff stored in the attic
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Recent Examples of breather
Initiating difficult conversations, and then getting all the way through them, takes planning and practice (and sometimes even a breather).
—
Harvard Business Review, 21 May 2025
Denver has to move on from DeAndre Jordan being a great teammate and find an actual backup center that can give Jokić some kind of breather.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 May 2025
In fact, the stock looked likely to take a breather on Wednesday.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 14 May 2025
Humans are typically terrible breathers, if women are in a really tight sports bra, their breathing is going to be even worse.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breather
Harvard Business Review, 21 May 2025
Denver has to move on from DeAndre Jordan being a great teammate and find an actual backup center that can give Jokić some kind of breather.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 May 2025
In fact, the stock looked likely to take a breather on Wednesday.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 14 May 2025
Humans are typically terrible breathers, if women are in a really tight sports bra, their breathing is going to be even worse.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breather
Noun
-
Storms in the area put the search on pause between 1:30 and 6 a.m. May 26, then crews resumed until Smith was found the next day, officials said.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2025
-
An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students’ plans to enroll in summer and fall terms.—
Annie Ma,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
Fewer Roles And Longer Recruitment Processes The shift from the hiring highs of 2021 to today’s lull has been sharp.—
Nadia Edwards-Dashti,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
The shelter then faced a lull, as previous applicants had already adopted other pets in need, and no immediate matches surfaced that could suit Thor.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Smith began feeling short of breath during her runs.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
4 June 2025
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But the bones – femur, rib, jaw – take her breath away each time.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
The Face the Nation preview was aired during the show, not during an advertising break.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
29 May 2025
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Even taking a short break to breathe, reflect or laugh with a colleague can restore perspective.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breather. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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