"waste breath" meaning in English

See waste breath in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-waste breath.ogg Forms: wastes breath [present, singular, third-person], wasting breath [participle, present], wasted breath [participle, past], wasted breath [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} waste breath (third-person singular simple present wastes breath, present participle wasting breath, simple past and past participle wasted breath)
  1. (idiomatic) To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded. Tags: idiomatic Related terms: like talking to a wall, waste of breath Translations (to speak futilely): դատարկ խոսել (datark xosel) (Armenian), 嘥氣 /嘥气 (saai¹ hei³) (Chinese Cantonese), 白說 /白说 (báishuō) (Chinese Mandarin), puhua joutavia (Finnish), perdre sa salive (French), gaspiller sa salive (French), gastar saliva (Galician), Atem verschwenden (German), eyða orku (Icelandic), eyða orku í (Icelandic), sprecar fiato (Italian), szkoda słów (Polish), gastar saliva (Portuguese), говори́ть на ве́тер (govorítʹ na véter) (Russian), gastar saliva (Spanish)

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wastes breath",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wasting breath",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wasted breath",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wasted breath",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "waste breath (third-person singular simple present wastes breath, present participle wasting breath, simple past and past participle wasted breath)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Armenian terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Armenian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Cantonese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Galician translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Icelandic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1827, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 24, in The Prairie:",
          "text": "Middleton and Paul saw no use in wasting their breath in remonstrances against this proposal.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1906, John Kendrick Bangs, chapter 1, in R. Holmes & Co.:",
          "text": "Why waste breath saying self-evident things?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 May 19, “Akshay jealous of Sanjay's tattoos?”, in Times of India, retrieved 2009-06-14:",
          "text": "\"Please don't waste your breath asking me ridiculous questions,\" he says.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded."
      ],
      "id": "en-waste_breath-en-verb-u3ySQJdO",
      "links": [
        [
          "speak",
          "speak"
        ],
        [
          "needless",
          "needless"
        ],
        [
          "futile",
          "futile"
        ],
        [
          "discussion",
          "discussion"
        ],
        [
          "argument",
          "argument"
        ],
        [
          "appreciate",
          "appreciate"
        ],
        [
          "heed",
          "heed"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "like talking to a wall"
        },
        {
          "word": "waste of breath"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "datark xosel",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "դատարկ խոսել"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "saai¹ hei³",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "嘥氣 /嘥气"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "báishuō",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "白說 /白说"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "puhua joutavia"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "perdre sa salive"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "gaspiller sa salive"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "gastar saliva"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "Atem verschwenden"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "eyða orku"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "eyða orku í"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "sprecar fiato"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "szkoda słów"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "gastar saliva"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "govorítʹ na véter",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "говори́ть на ве́тер"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to speak futilely",
          "word": "gastar saliva"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-waste breath.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/En-au-waste_breath.ogg/En-au-waste_breath.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/En-au-waste_breath.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "waste breath"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wastes breath",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wasting breath",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wasted breath",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wasted breath",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "waste breath (third-person singular simple present wastes breath, present participle wasting breath, simple past and past participle wasted breath)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "like talking to a wall"
    },
    {
      "word": "waste of breath"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Armenian terms with redundant script codes",
        "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Terms with Armenian translations",
        "Terms with Cantonese translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with Galician translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Icelandic translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1827, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 24, in The Prairie:",
          "text": "Middleton and Paul saw no use in wasting their breath in remonstrances against this proposal.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1906, John Kendrick Bangs, chapter 1, in R. Holmes & Co.:",
          "text": "Why waste breath saying self-evident things?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2009 May 19, “Akshay jealous of Sanjay's tattoos?”, in Times of India, retrieved 2009-06-14:",
          "text": "\"Please don't waste your breath asking me ridiculous questions,\" he says.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "speak",
          "speak"
        ],
        [
          "needless",
          "needless"
        ],
        [
          "futile",
          "futile"
        ],
        [
          "discussion",
          "discussion"
        ],
        [
          "argument",
          "argument"
        ],
        [
          "appreciate",
          "appreciate"
        ],
        [
          "heed",
          "heed"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To speak in a manner which is needless or futile; in discussion or argument to make points which are not appreciated or heeded."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-waste breath.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8f/En-au-waste_breath.ogg/En-au-waste_breath.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/En-au-waste_breath.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "datark xosel",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "դատարկ խոսել"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "saai¹ hei³",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "嘥氣 /嘥气"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "báishuō",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "白說 /白说"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "puhua joutavia"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "perdre sa salive"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "gaspiller sa salive"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "gastar saliva"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "Atem verschwenden"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "eyða orku"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "eyða orku í"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "sprecar fiato"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "szkoda słów"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "gastar saliva"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "govorítʹ na véter",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "говори́ть на ве́тер"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to speak futilely",
      "word": "gastar saliva"
    }
  ],
  "word": "waste breath"
}

Download raw JSONL data for waste breath meaning in English (4.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-02-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-02 using wiktextract (ca09fec and c40eb85). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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