respiring

Verb

respire (third-person singular simple present respires, present participle respiring, simple past and past participle respired)

1. (intransitive) To breathe in and out successively.

   Synonyms:

   breathe, draw breath, inbreathe, spire, suspire

   1. (intransitive) To recover one's breath or breathe easily following stress.
      • The breath of heav'n fresh-blowing, pure and sweet, / With day-spring born; here leave me to respire.1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes, lines 10–11
2. (intransitive) To take up oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (as animals do), or vice versa (as plants do).
   • All living things respire or breathe. To many of us this means that they take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide.1964, H. Webb, M. A. Grigg, Modern Science, Book 3, page 155

   Synonyms:

   breathe

3. (transitive) To (inhale and) exhale; to breathe.
   • It is my opinion, that these animals, while they continue in the state of larvae, respire water and not air; and that they inspire the water, not by the mask, but by their posterior part, through which also they discharge it.1799, M. Lesser, Insecto-Theology: Or, a Demonstration of the Being and Perfections of God, from a Consideration of the Structure and Economy of Insects, page 327
4. (archaic, intransitive) To recover hope, courage, or strength after a time of difficulty.

See all 6 meanings of respire