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

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

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

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 doesn’t 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

Just one gasp of air, that's all I wanted.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

There were gasps in court as the text was read out from members of Ross's family with Lewis later acknowledging in an interview the car "was dangerous".

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

They erupt in a chorus of cheers and gasps as they watch paper fortunes being made and erased in seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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

My breath was coming in ragged gasps, and I could barely hear the knocking engine of Papá’s old car for the pulse pounding against my eardrums.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

The away end gasped and VAR piped up.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

I gasped and shook while reading the first few lines, but it became more like entertainment as the minutes passed.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 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

He popped a piece of baklava in his mouth and gasped.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

In the darkness, partially kneeling, gasping for air and practically immobile, he suffered aftershock after aftershock.

From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026

As a result of the physical exertion, the former chef claims that she “became dizzy, began choking and gasping for air, and required assistance from security personnel, who intervened by providing water and aid.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

And while health care has deteriorated badly in recent years because of shortages of medicines and equipment, it remains free — a system gasping but not abandoned.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026

Meanwhile, many local broadcasters are gasping to stay solvent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

The old woman appeared in the bedroom door, mouth open, gasping for air.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• choke
• snort
• whoop