hold one's breath

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

hold one's breath (third-person singular simple present holds one's breath, present participle holding one's breath, simple past and past participle held one's breath)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hold,‎ one's,‎ breath. To keep air in one's lungs, pausing noticeably before exhaling after previously inhaling.
2. (idiomatic, usually in a negative) To wait expectantly for something to happen soon.

   He might pay back the money he borrowed without you reminding him, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

   • 2008, Linda Robinson, Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq‎^[1], page 271:

     Petraeus hoped they would succeed, and lent his support, but he was not holding his breath.

   • 2021 October 6, Christian Wolmar, “Both sides must work together to get London back on track”, in RAIL, number 941, page 35:

     It would be nice to think there are grown-ups in the Government ready to sort out the mess for the sake of London and its people... but I'm not holding my breath.

Derived terms

• don't hold your breath

Related terms

• breathholding
• breath-holding
• with bated breath

Translations

to keep air in one's lungs, pausing noticeably before exhaling after previously inhaling

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Cherokee: ᎠᏔᏬᏍᏗᎭ (atawosdiha)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 屏息 (zh) (bǐngxī), 屏氣／屏气 (zh) (bǐngqì), 屏住呼吸 (bǐnɡzhù hūxī)

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: pidättää hengitystään
• French: retenir son souffle (fr)
• Georgian: სუნთქვის შეკავება (suntkvis šeḳaveba)
• German: den Atem anhalten
• Greek: κρατάω την ανάσα μου (kratáo tin anása mou)
• Hindi: अपनी साँस रोकना (apnī sā̃s roknā)
• Icelandic: halda niðri í sér andanum
• Italian: trattenere il fiato
• Japanese: 息を殺す (いきをころす, iki o korosu), 息を詰める (いきをつめる, iki o tsumeru)
• Khmer: អត់ដង្ហើម (ʼɑtdɑɑnghaəm)
• Lao: ອັດໃຈ (ʼat chai)
• Macedonian: го држи здивот (go drži zdivot)
• Maori: pape, pepa, kuku, kumu
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: wstrzymywać oddech impf, wstrzymać oddech pf
• Portuguese: prender a respiração
• Russian: затаи́ть дыха́ние pf (zataítʹ dyxánije)
• Spanish: aguantar la respiración, contener el aliento
• Swedish: hålla andan (sv)
• Tagalog: magpigil ng hininga
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to wait expectantly for something to happen soon

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: pidättää hengitystään (fi)
• French: se faire des illusions (fr), se faire des idées (fr), compter sur quelque chose
• German: sich große Hoffnungen machen
• Greek: περιμένω πώς και πώς (periméno pós kai pós)
• Italian: restare col fiato sospeso
• Swedish: hålla andan (sv)

Further reading

• “hold one's breath”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.