World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English Dictionariescontener la respiración
Pronunciation / Transliteration: konteˈner la respiraˈsjon
"No contengas la respiración esperando que cumpla su promesa."
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
To stop breathing temporarily out of fear, excitement, or suspense.
"We held our breath as the tightrope walker stepped onto the high wire." - 2
To wait anxiously or expectantly for something to happen, often used in the negative to indicate that an event is highly unlikely to occur.
"If you are waiting for him to apologize, I wouldn't hold my breath."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
The idiom derives from the literal physical action of stopping breathing out of suspense, anxiety, or anticipation, recorded in English usage since the early 19th century. Over time, the negative formulation 'not hold one's breath' evolved specifically to denote extreme skepticism regarding the occurrence of a future event.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Hold one's breath"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Hold one's breath" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
retenir son souffle
Transliteration: ʁətniʁ sɔ̃ sufl
"Ne retenez pas votre souffle pour qu'ils changent d'avis."
den Atem anhalten
Transliteration: deːn ˈaːtəm ˈanhaltən
"Darauf brauchst du nicht zu warten."
trattenere il respiro
Transliteration: trattenere il respiro
"Non trattenere il respiro aspettando che arrivino in orario."
contener la respiración
Transliteration: konteˈner la respiraˈsjon
"No contengas la respiración esperando que cumpla su promesa."
prender a respiração
Transliteration: pɾẽˈdeɾ a ʁespiɾaˈsɐ̃w
"É melhor não prender a respiração esperando por isso."
साँस रोककर रखना
Transliteration: saans rokkhar rakhna
"इस बात के लिए अपनी साँस मत रोको यानी उम्मीद मत रखो।"
屏住呼吸
Transliteration: bǐng zhù hū xī
"别指望这件事会立刻发生。"
숨을 죽이다
Transliteration: sum-eul jug-ida
"그가 바뀔 거라고 기대하지 않는 게 좋을 것이다."
息を凝らす
Transliteration: iki o korasu
"彼がすぐに戻ってくるとは思わないほうがいい。"
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Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Hold one's breath"
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