1. Home
2. Idioms
3. waste one's breath

waste one's breath

---

---

waste one's breath

Speak in vain (because no one agrees), as in Don't waste your breath complaining to the supervisor-it won't help. This notion was first recorded about 1400 as wasting words. The exact idiom was first recorded in 1667. Also see save one's breath.

See also: breath, waste