Advertisement

View synonyms for sigh

sigh

[ sahy ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to let out one's breath audibly, as from sorrow, weariness, or relief.
  2. to yearn or long; pine.
  3. to make a sound suggesting a sigh:

    sighing wind.



verb (used with object)

  1. to express or utter with a sigh.
  2. to lament with sighing.

noun

  1. the act or sound of sighing.

sigh

/ saɪ /

verb

  1. intr to draw in and exhale audibly a deep breath as an expression of weariness, despair, relief, etc
  2. intr to make a sound resembling this

    trees sighing in the wind

  3. introften foll byfor to yearn, long, or pine
  4. tr to utter or express with sighing
“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

noun

  1. the act or sound of sighing
“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
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈsigher, noun
Discover More

Other Words From

  • sigher noun
  • outsigh verb (used with object)
  • un·sighing adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of sigh1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb sighen, back formation from sihte “sighed,” past tense of Middle English siken, sichen “to sigh, moan,” Old English sīcan “to sigh, groan, long for”; noun derivative of the verb
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of sigh1

Old English sīcan, of obscure origin
Discover More

Example Sentences

“I have a hard time listening to my own voice,” she sighs.

“Can you imagine how long it would take the civil service to make that happen?” an official sighed.

From BBC

“Not that I wasn’t grateful, but it was so time-consuming,” he says with a sigh.

All breathed a sigh of relief this year thanks to the far-right U.S.

Prowling a new road, Steinmetz said with a sigh, “We might have to cut our losses.”

Advertisement

Discover More

More About Sigh

What does sigh mean?

Sigh, an audible exhalation, conveys a broad range of emotions from sadness and disappointment to sarcasm and relief. People frequently write it out online to express such sentiments.

Where does sigh come from?

We’ve been sighing long before it was written down. It was first recorded around the 1300s as both a noun and a verb. In Middle English literature, we see many sighs in longing for love, for instance, or other worldly woes.

As online writing can’t always convey tone, typing out sigh became particularly useful and common as the internet took off in the 1990s–2000s. So much so, in fact, that in the 2000s, the mock French le sigh—with le a French article for “the”—became a humorous way to show frustration, weariness, or other emotions.

How is sigh used in real life?

In digital communication, people write out sigh in commentary on–or reaction to–various content. It is also used to mark the tone on a post or message.

Often, sigh written just as sigh after a remark or on its own. It may also be written as *sigh*, the asterisks acting like stage directions. Some even write le sigh for emphasis or irony.

Internet sigh’s are as versatile as real-life sighs, and they’ve migrated from social media to web article headlines. They can be issued in complaint, annoyance, disappointment, resignation, even wistful yearning.

 

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


siggosighful