Take somebody’s breath away
verb
To cause someone to feel surprised or amazed.
The beautiful sunset at the beach took my breath away.
Often appears as...
- the view took my breath away
- her beauty took his breath away
Usage tips
Idiomatic
verb
To cause a person to feel short of breath due to physical exertion or environmental factors.
The steep climb up the mountain took our breath away.
Often appears as...
- the exercise took their breath away
- the altitude took her breath away
verb
To cause someone to feel surprised or amazed.
The beautiful sunset at the beach took my breath away.
Often appears as...
- the view took my breath away
- her beauty took his breath away
Usage tips
Idiomatic
verb
To cause a person to feel short of breath due to physical exertion or environmental factors.
The steep climb up the mountain took our breath away.
Often appears as...
- the exercise took their breath away
- the altitude took her breath away
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Positive Surprise
Use when something is unexpectedly beautiful or impressive, creating a strong positive reaction.
Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time really took my breath away.
Pro Tip 2/3Figurative Speech
It's a figure of speech, meaning no one actually loses their breath. It expresses a feeling.
Her performance was so moving, it took my breath away.
Pro Tip 3/3Emotional Impact
It often describes something that deeply affects one's emotions, not just a visual impact.
The ending of that movie took my breath away.
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