take a breather
Stop and recover
To take a breather is to pause and rest briefly, especially during physical exertion or stressful activity: Let's take a breather before we tackle the next flight of stairs.
The expression treats breath as something that needs replenishing.
It applies equally to mental exhaustion: After three hours of meetings, I need to take a breather.
- relaxBecome less tense
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- unwindRelease accumulated tension
- restCessation of activity
- timeoutBrief suspension of play
recess · stop · get some air · decompress · break · kick back · put your feet up · recharge · intermit · hiatus · step away · meditate · reflect · slow down · stretch · sigh · moment · oxygen
take a breatherkeep going
Maintain forward progress
press on · continue · persevere · carry on · push through
take a breatherquit
Cease doing something
give up · throw in the towel · call it quits · abandon · walk away
take a breatherdouble down
Strengthen one's stance
burn the candle at both ends · overexert · leave it all on the field · sprint
take, breath, breathe, breathing, breather, breathed, breathes, breathless, take a breath