waste breath

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
(Redirected from waste one's breath)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

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.
    • 1827, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 24, in The Prairie:
      Middleton and Paul saw no use in wasting their breath in remonstrances against this proposal.
    • 1906, John Kendrick Bangs, chapter 1, in R. Holmes & Co.:
      Why waste breath saying self-evident things?
    • 2009 May 19, “Akshay jealous of Sanjay's tattoos?”, in Times of India, retrieved 14 June 2009:
      "Please don't waste your breath asking me ridiculous questions," he says.

Usage notes

[edit]
  • Frequently used with a possessive adjective: waste my / your / his / her / our / their breath.

Translations

[edit]

See also

[edit]