bated breath
5
7.1
- idiom
- /ˈbeɪtɪd brɛθ/
- Informal
:
aliento contenido
- But we'll have to all wait with bated breath for that, myself included.
But we'll have to all wait with bated breath for that, myself included.
- But we'll have to all wait with bated breath for that, myself included.
- So we will look forward with bated breath to September.
Examples
-
For many hundreds of years, kids, parents, grandmas and grandpas, even pets wait with bated breath for Christmas morning to arrive with all its magical splendor.
-
We'll be waiting with bated breath.
Fiction book (1998) -
There are some people who are waiting with bated breath for me to give them the answer.
-
So we will look forward with bated breath to September.
-
Both men wait with bated breath for a response.
Fiction book (1995) -
Fans are waiting with bated breath as the pop star considers whether to perform her next song in Russian.
Blog text (1) -
We watched with bated breath, some of us literally on the edge of our seats.
Fiction book (1995) -
We listened to the live radio coverage with bated breath, waiting for news.
Blog text (24) -
The world waits with bated breath as Amelia flies solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
-
The world waits with bated breath as Amelia flies solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Synonyms
82
3.7
A feeling of excited worry about what will happen next
43
3.2
In a worried or nervous way
20
4.1
Very exciting or tense and causing strong surprise
13
4.0
In a way that shows you have little air because you feel excited, scared, or very tired
10
4.1
To stop breathing for a short time or wait anxiously
1
7.3
A feeling of being very nervous and afraid because something scary or unknown might happen
You are so excited that you cannot breathe normally
Antonyms
How Anxious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense is partially derivable: 'bated' (reduced/held back) combined with 'breath' (air) yields the idea of holding one’s breath in suspense, so a learner who knows both constituents can plausibly infer the meaning. However, 'bated' is archaic/rare and the collocation is idiomatic, so the exact nuance is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom bated breath comes from the old word 'abated', where bated meant 'held back', and it gives the image of someone holding their breath. That's why it means 'waiting in nervous or excited silence'.