gasp
Americannoun
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gasps
plural
-
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.
verb (used without object)
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gasps,
present (3rd person singular)
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gasped,
past participle, past
-
gasping
present participle
verb (used with object)
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gasps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gasped,
past participle, past
-
gasping
present participle
-
to utter with gasps (often followed by out, forth, away, etc.).
She gasped out the words.
-
to breathe or emit with gasps (often followed byaway ).
idioms
verb
-
(intr) to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc
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(intr; foll by after or for) to crave
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to utter or emit breathlessly
noun
-
a short convulsive intake of breath
-
a short convulsive burst of speech
-
-
at the point of death
-
at the last moment
-
Synonym Usage
See pant 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gaspsimple
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gaspssimple
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have gaspedperfect
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has gaspedperfect
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am gaspingprogressive
-
are gaspingprogressive
-
is gaspingprogressive
-
have been gaspingperfect progressive
-
has been gaspingperfect progressive
Past
-
gaspedsimple
-
had gaspedperfect
-
was gaspingprogressive
-
were gaspingprogressive
-
had been gaspingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gasp
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gaspen, probably Old English *gāspen, equivalent to Old Norse geispa; akin to gape
Explanation
A gasp is the sound made by a sharp inward breath. After running up a steep hill, your breath will come in gasps. When you make the sound of a gasp, you gasp: "It was so surprising to see my lost cat sitting calmly on the front porch that it made me gasp." People tend to gasp when they're shocked or hurt. A "last gasp" is the moment just before someone dies — it can also mean the point of completing or ending something: "It was the last gasp of video stores in my city when that one closed."
Vocabulary lists containing gasp
Illegal
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Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 1
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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:
Dreyer struck out Oneil Cruz looking to end the top of the eighth with a runner on third, fighting off the Pirates’ final gasp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Also, your heart rate spikes, your blood pressure soars, the blood vessels in your extremities constrict to keep warm blood near your core and you begin to gasp involuntarily.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
It was quickly wiped out as Iran's push for a winner intensified, Mehdi Taremi scudding the bar, causing a visible gasp to emanate from the table below.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
She also – gasp – views the sniveling Mr. Collins favorably.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
Beside me, I heard Jay gasp and felt his body slump, but he stayed on his feet.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
The underwater vehicle was coasting about six feet above the ocean floor, two miles deep, when a pinkish, mysterious creature swam into its camera’s sights, drawing gasps in the research vessel floating at the surface.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
There’s no more fitting description of a documentary that’s cobbled together from the dying gasps of ’90s fashion culture, when glamor and mischief reigned supreme.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
On Tuesday, audible gasps could be heard in the courtroom as Judge William Sullivan read out a note from the jury indicating that it was deadlocked.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The total eclipse plunged a vast swathe of Spain from broad daylight into darkness Wednesday, drawing awed gasps and applause from spectators gathered in parks and cities across the country.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
My breath came in short gasps as I tried to control the crying.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Many in the audience laughed and applauded, when they should have gasped or moaned.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2026
I caught the film at a recent matinee in New Orleans, and children and adults alike gasped at Harryhausen’s movie monsters – from the looming metal colossus of Telos to the hissing and slithering Hydra.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
The audience gasped and then cheered as the Saltburn and Gone Girl actor said she hoped the person was a doctor and that their message had been "very important".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
By the time many of these rising talents were accruing debt in graduate writing programs, the dream of a sustainable career in the nonprofit theater had already gasped its last breath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
His boat capsized, then righted itself and began turning over and over; each time his exasperated head bobbed up, he gasped for his possibly final breath.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
No livestream could have delivered that shiver, or the silence of hundreds of strangers falling still, then gasping, in the same instant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the darkness, partially kneeling, gasping for air and practically immobile, he suffered aftershock after aftershock.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
Fonseca's biggest weapon is the ferocious forehand that leaves opponents beaten and spectators gasping with excitement.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
By that point, Illinois was already rolling, well on their way to a 101-65 victory that left USC gasping for air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Dazed and gasping for breath, I stared up and there he was, towering over me, grinning.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
