hold your breath — not breathe
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to stop breathing for a short time, usually on purpose, for example when you go underwater or are waiting nervously for something to happen.
Say it like a native
Textbook Please cease breathing momentarily while I take the scan.
Native Just hold your breath for a second.
'Hold your breath' is the fixed everyday phrase. 'Cease breathing momentarily' is clinical.
Pattern: hold + your + breath
In use
- She had to hold her breath while swimming under the water.daily life
- During the exam, I was so nervous that I felt like I was holding my breath until I finished.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Hold the breath and count to ten.
✓ Hold your breath and count to ten.
Use the possessive — 'hold YOUR breath', not 'the breath'.
Common collocations
hold your breath— underwater, for a moment, and count, nervously
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'take a deep breath,' which means to breathe in deeply, not to stop breathing.