gasp
a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.
a convulsive effort to breathe.
a short, convulsive utterance: the words came out in gasps.
to catch one's breath.
to struggle for breath with the mouth open; breathe convulsively.
to long with breathless eagerness; desire; crave (usually followed by for or after).
to utter with gasps (often followed by out, forth, away, etc.): She gasped out the words.
to breathe or emit with gasps (often followed by away).
Idioms about gasp
last gasp, the point of death; dying: At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.
Origin of gasp
1synonym study For gasp
Other words for gasp
Other words from gasp
- gasp·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use gasp in a sentence
A: Well, I felt more or less like I was drowning, just gasping between life and death.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built | Michael Daly | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt certain points, I had so much trouble breathing I found myself gasping for air like a dying fish.
Motherless Daughters and Parentless Parents Trek to the Andes to Aid Orphans | Allison Gilbert | August 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe whole hand-to-the-mouth gasping thing we do when learning that women go see these films is horribly retrograde.
'Guardians of the Galaxy' Is Not a Watershed Moment for Women | Kevin Fallon | August 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSometimes people with sleep apnea wake up during the night gasping for breath.
Oulson can be heard gurgling, gasping, his lungs crackling, the sounds of someone drowning in his own blood.
The Movie Murder 911 Tape: Victim’s Last Breaths, With Shooter Nearby | Michael Daly | January 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They fell against the tree stump and reeled clear again, swaying, gasping, and striking when they could.
The Gold Trail | Harold BindlossDick was almost gasping for breath, and as he buried his head in his hands, he tried to understand, to realise.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph HockingIda sat down gasping, when her companion stopped, and gazed with an instinctive shrinking into the gulf below.
The Gold Trail | Harold BindlossThey were gasping when they reached a ledge of rock a little below the summit, but that was not why they sat down.
The Gold Trail | Harold BindlossNot his brain alone, his voice was gasping it, harshly and croakingly, his lungs seeming on fire as they expelled the word.
The Stars, My Brothers | Edmond Hamilton
British Dictionary definitions for gasp
/ (ɡɑːsp) /
(intr) to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc
(intr; foll by after or for) to crave
(tr often foll by out) to utter or emit breathlessly
a short convulsive intake of breath
a short convulsive burst of speech
at the last gasp
at the point of death
at the last moment
Origin of gasp
1Derived forms of gasp
- gaspingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with gasp
see last gasp.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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