breathe a sigh of relief

Meaning

This expression means to feel a sense of comfort and reassurance after a period of worry, fear, or tension has ended. It mimics the physical action of exhaling deeply when you realize everything is going to be okay. It is commonly used in both spoken and written English to describe overcoming an anxious moment.

Examples

• When the doctor said the test results were negative, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

  When the doctor said the test results were negative, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

• I breathed a huge sigh of relief after submitting my final exam paper.

  I breathed a huge sigh of relief after submitting my final exam paper.

• As soon as the plane landed safely, the passengers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

  As soon as the plane landed safely, the passengers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

• She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't lost her passport.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't lost her passport.

• We can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the project is successfully finished.

  We can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the project is successfully finished.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I made a sigh of relief when I found my keys.

  ✓ I breathed a sigh of relief when I found my keys.

  The verb 'breathe' (or sometimes 'heave') is collocated with 'sigh of relief'. You cannot use 'make' or 'do'.

• ✗ She breathed a sigh of relieve.

  ✓ She breathed a sigh of relief.

  'Relief' is the noun, while 'relieve' is the verb. The idiom always uses the noun form 'relief'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• When the police found the missing child safe, the whole town ___.

  💡 Think of exhaling after a lot of worry (past tense).

  Show answer

  breathed a sigh of relief

• I will finally be able to ___ once this stressful week is over.

  💡 Use the base form of the verb 'breathe'.

  Show answer

  breathe a sigh of relief