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:
The final third of the show went rat-a-tat with songs from the last gasp of the Top 40 monoculture: “Grenade” and “Uptown Funk” and the like.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Residents and wild swimmers were horrified to find them washed up on Saturday, appearing to gasp for air, in the River Wensum through Norwich.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
That proved to be the last gasp for the American attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
She also – gasp – views the sniveling Mr. Collins favorably.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
My gasp was cut off quick as I was yanked forward into the tidal pool of standing marsh water.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
There were gasps and – to the intense irritation of supporters – cheers from opponents of assisted dying when the vote was read out in the Commons.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 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
At the time, the union drew gasps of surprise and even disappointment from some feminists, who had spent years following Steinem's heated debates surrounding marriage laws.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 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
Between gasps, Dalton asks, “What do we win if it’s not a real place?”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
When I handed him a dollar bill a few months ago, I gasped as he tore it up like a piece of scrap paper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
"Claudiapatra!" gasped model and actress Jerry Hall - spotting similarities in both grandeur and hairstyles between Claudia and Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
Jack shouted in pain, and the air around him began popping as he gasped for even the tiniest breath.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
"I forgot to look down until I heard our baby's cry. I saw her face, gasping just as she did. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, taking in the light and shadow, blinking rapidly."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said that even in training camp, the team’s veteran players were gasping at Miles’s plays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
In the darkness, partially kneeling, gasping for air and practically immobile, he suffered aftershock after aftershock.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 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
“Physical scars, and mental ones. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes, gasping and crying out. I dream that I’m surrounded by fire. That I’m burning up and can’t escape.”
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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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.
