breathe new life into
expression · Collocation / phrase B2
Plain meaning
to make something active, interesting, or successful again
Exam-register meaning
In exam reading or discussion, this expression signals to make something active, interesting, or successful again rather than a literal meaning.
In context
naturalThe phrase “breathe new life into” fitted the situation perfectly.
examIn higher-level reading passages, “breathe new life into” may be used to show to make something active, interesting, or successful again.
Common collocations
breathe new life intouse “breathe new life into” in contextthe expression “breathe new life into”
Watch out
Do not translate “breathe new life into” word-for-word; learn it as a fixed expression and check whether it is suitable for formal writing.