to breathe a word
12
6.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
no decir ni una palabra
- Please, you absolutely must not breathe a word of this to anyone.
- never breathe a word
- promised not to breathe a word
- dare to breathe a word
Examples
-
You keep those records and never breathe a word.
Blog text (11) -
Don't breathe a word about where Lucy is.
Fiction book (1994) -
You cannot breathe a word of this to anybody.
-
I want you to promise not to breathe a word of this to anybody.
-
"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.
-
I won't breathe a word to anyone.
-
Please don't breathe a word of this.
Fiction book (2001) -
She did not dare to breathe a word about it to anyone.
Fiction book (1994) -
Please, you absolutely must not breathe a word of this to anyone.
Synonyms
∞
2.7
Report someone's actions to the police or an authority
435
6.1
Tell secrets or private facts because of pressure
342
4.1
Reveal hidden facts or bad actions to people
234
4.1
To tell people information that was secret
219
4.1
To tell secret information to the public without permission
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
114
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
70
8.4
To tell secret information to the police or other officials
47
5.6
Say all private things about a person or event
46
3.7
To express an opinion or complaint publicly
45
6.2
To tell secret or private information to people
43
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
29
7.4
To tell a secret
24
3.7
People find out secret information without permission
21
7.4
To tell secrets without thinking
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
8
7.0
Tell a person in charge about someone else's bad actions in a childish way
8
6.8
Reveal secret information that shocks people
5
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
5
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
3
5.3
Tell secret information carelessly to others
2
4.4
To tell people about something secret
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
1
9.1
To openly say something people usually keep secret
To tell secrets without thinking
Antonyms
How Revealing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase can be compositionally interpreted as 'utter a word' (breathe = produce/say, word = something said), so a learner who maps 'breathe' onto 'say/utter' could derive the meaning 'say anything about it'. However, the use of 'breathe' with this sense is metaphorical/extended and not an obvious primary meaning for many B1 learners, so prior exposure may be needed for full understanding.
Etymology
Breathe a word comes from the simple image of someone letting a word escape on a quiet breathe, as if the secret flew away on the air. So, one popular story says that to 'breathe a word' is to 'reveal a secret', which is why today it means to tell something that should be kept private.