gasp

American  

[gasp, gahsp] / gæsp, gɑsp /

noun

• gasps
  plural

1. a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.

2. a convulsive effort to breathe.

3. a short, convulsive utterance.

   the words came out in gasps.

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verb (used without object)

• gasps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gasped,
  past participle,  past
• gasping
  present participle

1. to catch one's breath.

   Synonyms:

   blow, puff

2. to struggle for breath with the mouth open; breathe convulsively.

   Synonyms:

   blow, puff

3. to long with breathless eagerness; desire; crave (usually followed by for orafter ).

verb (used with object)

• gasps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gasped,
  past participle,  past
• gasping
  present participle

1. to utter with gasps (often followed by out, forth, away, etc.).

   She gasped out the words.

2. to breathe or emit with gasps (often followed byaway ).

idioms

1. last gasp, the point of death; dying.

   At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.

gasp British  

/ ɡɑːsp /

verb

1. (intr) to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc

2. (intr; foll by after or for) to crave

3. to utter or emit breathlessly

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noun

1. a short convulsive intake of breath

2. a short convulsive burst of speech

3. 1. at the point of death

   2. at the last moment

gasp More Idioms  

1. see last gasp.

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Synonym Usage

See pant ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gaspingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gasps
  plural

Participles

• gasping
  present
• gasped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gasp
  simple
• gasps
  simple
• have gasped
  perfect
• has gasped
  perfect
• am gasping
  progressive
• are gasping
  progressive
• is gasping
  progressive
• have been gasping
  perfect progressive
• has been gasping
  perfect progressive

Past

• gasped
  simple
• had gasped
  perfect
• was gasping
  progressive
• were gasping
  progressive
• had been gasping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gasp
  simple
• will have gasped
  perfect
• will be gasping
  progressive
• will have been gasping
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gasp gasps gasped gasping

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

It’s space in which we can cheer, gasp and leap out of seats along with our families, friends and all the millions we will never meet but to whom we are connected all the same.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Lee, then, is left wondering if this is the true nature of mortality: a long pattern of disappointments, up to and including the moment you gasp your final breath.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

The NBA does not officially track “nopes,” those moments when players look at the rim, gasp as Wembanyama eclipses it, and abruptly change their mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

I make a strange sound that’s somewhere between a gasp and a giggle.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

And as Ma gasps her final breaths, she makes her smart little girl promise to never lose sight of her ultimate goal.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

There were gasps in the public gallery as the judge explained that.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

This is look No. 1 at the photo shoot for this story, and everyone in the room — producers, photo assistants, editors — stop to stare, little gasps mutating into big ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

There were loud gasps in the packed public gallery as the verdicts were returned.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

That matches the strangled gasps from the six hundred students.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

The away end gasped and VAR piped up.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

When students gasped, he said: “That’s where all this AI hype comes from. We’re not good at programming consciousness. But we’re great at imagining nonconscious things are people.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

"Muhammet hit the seagull!" he gasped, referring to the goalie.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

My eyes widened and I gasped, “Mine too!”

From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026

He gasped as the plane lurched forward, ready for takeoff.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

This time, Freeman and replacement Guy Pepper were dispatched to the sin-bin late on to leave England, gasping at 1,753m above sea level, down to 13 men for the final eight minutes.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

“I had kind of a mental health breakdown,” Tyson said, describing sleep deprivation so severe she felt drunk and anxiety attacks that left her gasping for air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

Female jurors watched with rapt attention, some gasping in shock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

Narvaez, who appeared to be gasping to keep up with Vine on the demanding final Corkscrew climb, paid tribute to his teammate.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026

The bard and Taran tried to aid him, but at last Ellidyr fell back, exhausted and gasping with the pain of his efforts.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

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• snort
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