breathe vs take a breather

breathe and take a breather both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
breathe	No	No	Yes	No
take a breather	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, breathe and take a breather are synonyms defined as:

breathe and take a breather: take a short break from one's activities in order to relax

Other synonyms of breathe include catch one's breath, rest.

breathe (verb)	take a breather (verb)
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs	take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
expel (gases or odors)
reach full flavor by absorbing air and being let to stand after having been uncorked
take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
utter or tell
manifest or evince
impart as if by breathing
be alive
allow the passage of air through