gasp
noun
a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.
had been gasping
-
past perfect progressiveof gasp.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
He noted that every fish he’d found in the site had died with its mouth open, which may indicate that the fish had been gasping as they suffocated in the sediment-laden water.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 29, 2019
A giant flame shot up, and I thought it was wonderful that the stove, which had been gasping its last breath, had made such a miraculous recovery.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
In being hearing something she was being one who had been gasping.
From Matisse Picasso and Gertrude Stein With Two Shorter Stories by Stein, Gertrude
