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Glite Dictionary
to catch one's breath

to catch one's breath

32 3.7
Pause to breathe normally after hard exercise or a shock
  • idiom
translation icon : recuperar el aliento
  • After sprinting to the finish line, I needed a moment to catch my breath.

Examples

  • Fighting the dense humid air, she paused directly below the villa to catch her breath.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I just need to catch my breath.

    Old (2021)

  • Sit down and catch your breath for a second.

    Derailed (2005)

  • I just gotta catch my breath.

    Wolf Creek (2005)

  • Let him catch his breath.

    Funky Monkey (2004)

  • I'll just take a moment to catch my breath.

    City of Angels (1998)

  • Halfway around, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath and listen.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • For a moment, Laurie stood in the ruins of her room to catch her breath.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • She paused for a moment to catch her breath after climbing the steep hill.

  • As he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped to catch his breath.

Synonyms

to rest
vsto catch one's breath
816 1.0

To stop activity to relax or sleep and get energy back

is a shorter action aimed at restoring normal inhaling and exhaling after exertion
to take a break
vsto catch one's breath
496 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

focuses specifically on regaining normal inhaling and exhaling rather than general relaxation
to take a deep breath
vsto catch one's breath
103 2.7

Pull air slowly into your lungs to calm yourself

is a brief pause whose main aim is to regain normal inhaling and exhaling after effort
to take a breath
vsto catch one's breath
67 1.0

To breathe in and out once to calm yourself or prepare to speak

is a short pause to restore regular inhaling and exhaling after physical or sudden strain
to take a breather
vsto catch one's breath
  • Informal
14 3.5

To stop and rest for a short time

is specifically a pause to restore normal inhaling and exhaling after exertion or shock
to need a breather
vsto catch one's breath
  • Informal
2 3.6

Want a short rest to catch your breath

is the actual short pause that restores normal inhaling and exhaling

Antonyms

to suffocate
  • NSFW
81 6.1

To have no air to breathe or to stop someone from getting air

How Recovered

to breathe
  • Informal
25 2.6
to catch one's breath
32 3.7
gasp
312 1.8

Surface Forms

catch one's breath infinitive
catching one's breath present participle
catches one's breath third person singular
caught one's breath past
caught one's breath past participle

Morphology

catch + one + breath

The meaning is directly inferable from the constituents: 'catch' (seize) + 'one's breath' (air drawn into the lungs) conveys pausing to recover breathing after exertion. This compositional metaphor is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'recuperar el aliento', French 'prendre son souffle'), so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely understand it.

Etymology

The idiom catch one's breath comes from the simple image of a person stopping after hard exercise or a sudden shock to try and catch a deep breath and calm their breathing. That's why it now means 'to pause and recover normal breathing' or 'to take a short rest to calm down'.