the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
"After running up the hill, she leaned against the wall to catch her breathing."
The act of respiration; a single instance of this.
"He held his breath during that long, terrifying dive before finally taking another deep breathing after surfacing."
In plain English: Breathing is when you take air into your lungs and push it back out again to keep yourself alive.
"After running up the hill, he leaned against the wall to get his breathing under control again."
Usage: Use breathing to describe either the general process of taking in air or one specific inhalation and exhalation cycle, such as holding your breath after that deep breathing exercise. Avoid confusing it with "breath," which refers specifically to the air itself within a single instance rather than the action.
present participle of breathe
"The patient was on life support, keeping them breathing despite their own lungs failing to function."
In plain English: Breathing is when you take air into your lungs and push it back out again to keep yourself alive.
"She was breathing heavily after running up the stairs."
The word breathing is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the verb breathe. It simply indicates the action or process of inhaling and exhaling air.