sigh
Americanverb (used without object)
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sighs,
present (3rd person singular)
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sighed,
past participle, past
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sighing
present participle
-
to let out one's breath audibly, as from sorrow, weariness, or relief.
-
to yearn or long; pine.
-
to make a sound suggesting a sigh.
sighing wind.
verb (used with object)
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sighs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sighed,
past participle, past
-
sighing
present participle
-
to express or utter with a sigh.
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to lament with sighing.
noun
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sighs
plural
verb
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(intr) to draw in and exhale audibly a deep breath as an expression of weariness, despair, relief, etc
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(intr) to make a sound resembling this
trees sighing in the wind
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to yearn, long, or pine
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(tr) to utter or express with sighing
noun
Usage
What does sigh mean? Sigh, an audible exhalation, conveys a broad range of emotions from sadness and disappointment to sarcasm and relief. People frequently write it out online to express such sentiments.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sighsimple
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sighssimple
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have sighedperfect
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has sighedperfect
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am sighingprogressive
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are sighingprogressive
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is sighingprogressive
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have been sighingperfect progressive
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has been sighingperfect progressive
Past
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sighedsimple
-
had sighedperfect
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was sighingprogressive
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were sighingprogressive
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had been sighingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sigh
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb sighen, back formation from sihte “sighed,” past tense of Middle English siken, sichen “to sigh, moan,” Old English sīcan “to sigh, groan, long for”; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
The sound that you make when you exhale loudly to show frustration, boredom, or relief is called a sigh. No matter how much you sigh during your family's annual car trip to the Grand Canyon, your dad won't drive any faster. Something that sounds like a human sigh is also called a sigh. The breeze might sigh in the still night air, or a screen door might sigh closed. The word sigh comes from the Old English word of the same meaning, sican, which was probably imitative, echoing the sound of a sigh.
Vocabulary lists containing sigh
"The Road Not Taken"
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"We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
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"The House on Mango Street" and "The Road Not Taken"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But its predecessor was "unique", he said with a sigh.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Americans might breathe a sigh of relief with prices for gasoline down a bit from last week, but eventually they could pay a premium on the goods shipped to their homes or local grocery stores.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
The effect is less a fall than a settling—from yearning into tenderness, like an audible sigh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The NSO appeared at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night, however, with a collective sigh of relief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Finally, they left me alone to go use the restroom before class, and I heaved an audible sigh of relief.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Meanwhile, the film works to wring out a tear, occasionally squeezing too hard, but earning several sad sighs of recognition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Coventry City: You could hear the sighs of relief in the away end at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"We've been under sanctions for years," sighs an employee at one of two branches in Dubai.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Inevitably the streak ends and everyone sighs, reflects and returns to work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He sighs and pulls me closer so he can kiss me on the head.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
The woman sighed, tapped her screen with a fingernail and said, “It’s right there.”
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Recently an honest woman who works for a top AI firm sighed in my presence when describing decision-making at this crucial moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Every day we have to sign a petition to save our country, save the nature, save the city,” she sighed as we sat down.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
"I've been a fisherman for 39 years and there's never been a drought like this before," sighed fellow fisherman Aleksandar Angelov.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Daisy sighed and said, “Jay Berry, I just don’t know about you. I learn things by reading. If you would read something besides those old hunting and fishing stories, you might learn something, too.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
But if you were in that meadow with hundreds of happy people sighing out every “ah-ah” in unison, you would have quickly picked up that refrain and maybe even joined the chorus.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Unfortunately for Pep Guardiola's side, City's defensive display will have had those same rivals sighing with relief.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
“I’ve been laid off before,” Dave told me, sighing as he acknowledged that periods of looking for work are part of having a career.
From Slate ● May 20, 2025
Nadon’s sighing shoulders lead her on a path of self-discovery that she fills in with lustrous details.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
I could hear her sighing from twenty feet away.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
