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Glite Dictionary
🌬️ To take air in ❤️ To be alive ✨ To give feeling 🧵 To let air pass 🤫 To say quietly ☕ To take a break 🍷 To air wine 👃 To give off odor
to breathe

to breathe

29 7.4
To tell a secret
  • verb
  • /briːð/
translation icon : decir
  • Please, you absolutely must not breathe a word of this to anyone.
  • not breathe a word

Examples

  • Don't breathe a word... to anyone.

    The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

  • You must not breathe a word of this secret to anyone, or it could cause problems.

  • "If you promise not to breathe a word about it, I'll give you a hint."

    Fiction book (1994)

  • And you mustn't breathe a word of this to anyone, inside or outside the Academy.

    The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

  • " Don't breathe a word to anyone," Fred advised, "until you have Arthurian's permission."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • If you breathe a word about our plan, we will have to cancel it.

  • Please don't breathe a word of your surprise party to her; we want it to be a total surprise.

Synonyms

to whisper
vsto breathe
586 1.0

To speak very quietly using only breath so one person can hear

is used for disclosing secret information rather than describing soft speech
to utter
vsto breathe
107 2.9

To say something aloud

is specifically about revealing information especially secret matters
to let out
vsto breathe
50 3.1

Make a sound like a laugh, cry, or sigh

is about telling information or secrets rather than making noises
to breathe a word
vsto breathe
  • Informal
12 6.3

To tell someone a secret that should be kept

is a single word form used for the same act of disclosure
to spill one's guts
vsto breathe
  • Informal
5 8.1

To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly

is neutral about content and focuses on disclosure rather than emotional confession
to babble
vsto breathe
3 5.3

Tell secret information carelessly to others

is more neutral and does not suggest careless or uncontrolled disclosure
to say the quiet part loud
vsto breathe
  • UK
1 9.1

To openly say something people usually keep secret

is about revealing confidential information often more quietly or indirectly
to babble out
vsto breathe
  • Informal
8.0

To tell secrets without thinking

is neutral and describes disclosure without careless or uncontrolled speech
breathed
vsto breathe
7.0

Spoken very softly so it is almost a whisper

is about saying or revealing secret information rather than speech quality

Antonyms

to conceal
282 3.7

To hide something so others cannot see or find it

to silence
169 3.5

To stop someone from speaking or making noise

Idioms

to breathe a word
  • Informal
12 6.3

To tell someone a secret that should be kept

to breathe a sigh of relief
  • Informal
12 2.5

To feel very relieved after a time of worry

to live and breathe
  • Informal
9 4.8

To be very excited about something and always make it a main part of life

to breathe one's last
  • Literature
2 7.9

To stop living

Phrasal Verbs

to breathe in
54 1.0

To take air into your lungs through your nose or mouth

to breathe down someone's neck
  • Informal
14 7.5

To watch or pressure someone closely so they feel nervous

to breathe out
8 1.0

To push air out of your lungs

to breathe easy
  • Informal
5 3.4

To feel relaxed and relieved after a worrying time

How Revealing

to announce
∞ 1.5
to reveal
∞ 2.3
to breathe
29 7.4
to hint
136 2.0

Surface Forms

breathe infinitive
breathed past
breathed past participle
breathing present participle
breathes third person singular

Morphology

breathe = breath (semi-transparent) = breath + e

Extended meaning 'to utter or reveal' is related to exhaling/speaking and thus is an understandable derivation though somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Breathe can mean 'say' because speaking is a kind of breathing out with words, tied to the idea of breath leaving the mouth. So to 'not breathe a word' of something is to keep it from being spoken.