breathe down your neck
Meaning
To watch, follow, or supervise someone very closely, creating pressure or discomfort and leaving little personal space.
Origin
A vivid metaphor of someone standing so close behind you that you can feel their breath on your neck, suggesting intrusive surveillance or pressure.
Notes
Strongly negative: implies intrusive oversight, pressure, or nagging. Common in casual speech and workplace contexts. Can be literal in rare contexts, so rely on context for figurative meaning.
Examples
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My manager has been breathing down my neck all week about the report.
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With the deadline so close, it feels like everyone is breathing down my neck.
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Stop breathing down my neck—I’ll finish the task when I’m done double-checking it.
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The press was breathing down the coach’s neck after the team’s losing streak.
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If you keep breathing down her neck, she’ll get nervous and make mistakes.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Fixed phrase: “breathe down someone’s neck.” Possessive changes (my/your/his). Tenses inflect (was breathing/has been breathing). Object is a person; often used with “be” (He’s breathing down my neck).
Synonyms
- hover over someone
- keep a close eye on someone
- watch someone like a hawk
- look over someone’s shoulder
- micromanage
Antonyms
- give someone space
- leave someone alone
- back off