gasp

[gasp, gahsp]

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gasp ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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)

to catch one's breath.

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

to long with breathless eagerness; desire; crave (usually followed by for or after).

verb (used with object)

to utter with gasps (often followed by out, forth, away, etc.): She gasped out the words.

to breathe or emit with gasps (often followed by away).

Idioms

last gasp, the point of death; dying: At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.

Origin of gasp

1350–1400; Middle English gaspen, probably Old English *gāspen, equivalent to Old Norse geispa; akin to gape

Related formsgasp·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for gasp

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gasp ON THESAURUS.COM

4, 5. puff, blow. See pant¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gasped

whoop, snort, choke, blow, inhale, inspire, pant, convulse, gulp, respire, puff, wheeze, heave, sniffle

Examples from the Web for gasped

Contemporary Examples of gasped

The execution Wednesday of an Arizona man lasted almost two hours as he gasped for air.
Arizona Botches Execution
Ben Jacobs
July 23, 2014
“They were just meat,” he gasped before breaking down in tears.
A Child’s Funeral in Gaza
Jesse Rosenfeld
July 18, 2014
Millennials are “unmoored from institutions,” gasped Pew Research recently.
Rand Paul is Politically Divergent. And So He Must Be Stopped.
Nick Gillespie
March 27, 2014
The castle, she gasped and then so imprisoned her breath, to the shallow confines of her fragile chest.
Facebook Post By Chardon Ohio High School Shooting Suspect T.J. Lane
February 27, 2012
Over 200 people, from reporters to photographers and sales reps, gasped as they were told they would be losing their jobs.
The Intrusive British Press
July 10, 2011

Historical Examples of gasped

He held her to him and muttered incoherencies until she gasped.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
"No, no; thank you," gasped the boy, aghast at the reckless audacity of the proposal.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
"You don't mean that," she gasped in a quivering voice when at last she could speak.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
"I am an officer of the Holy Inquisition; no one dare touch me," he gasped.
Fair Margaret
H. Rider Haggard
He went to the window and gasped in the mists of the sultry air for breath.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for gasped

gasp

verb

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

(intr; foll by after or for) to crave

(tr often foll by out) to utter or emit breathlessly

noun

a short convulsive intake of breath

a short convulsive burst of speech

at the last gasp

at the point of death
at the last moment

Derived Formsgaspingly, adverb

Word Origin for gasp

C14: from Old Norse geispa to yawn; related to Swedish dialect gispa, Danish gispe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gasped

gasp

late 14c., gaspen, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse geispa "to yawn," or its Danish derivative gispe "gasp," which probably are related to Old Norse gapa (see gape). Related: Gasped; gasping.

gasp

1570s, from gasp (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with gasped

gasp

see last gasp.