gasp
[gasp, gahsp]
- 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.
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- 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).
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- 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).
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- last gasp, the point of death; dying: At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.
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Origin of gasp
1350–1400; Middle English gaspen, probably Old English *gāspen, equivalent to Old Norse geispa; akin to gape
Synonyms
See more synonyms for gasp on Thesaurus.com4, 5. puff, blow. See pant1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for gasped
Contemporary Examples
The execution Wednesday of an Arizona man lasted almost two hours as he gasped for air.
“They were just meat,” he gasped before breaking down in tears.
Millennials are “unmoored from institutions,” gasped Pew Research recently.
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. LaneFebruary 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 PressJuly 10, 2011
Historical Examples
He held her to him and muttered incoherencies until she gasped.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
"No, no; thank you," gasped the boy, aghast at the reckless audacity of the proposal.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
"You don't mean that," she gasped in a quivering voice when at last she could speak.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
"I am an officer of the Holy Inquisition; no one dare touch me," he gasped.
Fair MargaretH. Rider Haggard
He went to the window and gasped in the mists of the sultry air for breath.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
gasp
- (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
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- 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
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Word Origin
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
v.
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.
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gasp
n.
1570s, from gasp (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with gasped
gasp
see last gasp.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.