1
general::
Phrase(s): *out of breath [and] *out of wind
breathing fast and hard; gasping for breath. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) • I ran so much that I got out of breath. • Mary gets out of wind when she climbs stairs.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Breathing with difficulty, panting, gasping. For example, After five flights of stairs I'm out of breath. This slightly hyperbolic term (since literally running out of breath means one is dead) dates from the late 1500s. Also see CATCH ONE'S BREATH.
American Heritage Idioms