He held his breath as he listened.

Meaning: He stopped breathing for a while and paid attention to the sounds.

Choice of Words: Held means to keep or maintain something in a particular position or state. Breath is the air that is inhaled and exhaled by a living organism. Listened means to pay attention to sounds or speech. Together, they describe an action of intentionally not breathing while paying attention to sounds.

Alternative Expressions

Related Expressions

• The boy held his breath as the girl got closer.
• Heart pounding, he held his breath, hoping not to be found.
• He held his breath, eyes scanning the depths.
• The world held its breath.
• The stars held their breath.
• The clouds held their breath, anticipating the arrival of the first raindrops.
• They held their breath in anticipation.
• Audience held breath in anticipation.
• Audience held breath, captivated by the performance.
• In that frozen moment, the world held its breath.