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

noun

1. the act or sound of sighing

Derived Forms

• ˈsigher, noun

Other Words From

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sigh¹

Old English sīcan, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

When the quarantine was over, Mulhern breathed a sigh of relief.

From Washington Post

Investors have seemingly breathed a sigh of relief after Tesla continued its profitability streak, as the Elon Musk–led company beat earnings estimates late Wednesday.

From Fortune

Yet in recent years, there’s an equally unmistakable, collective sigh of frustration that often accompanies the actual announcements.

From Ozy

Mock-up of iOS 14 tracking permission dialogWhile some mobile marketers breathed an audible sigh of relief with the delay, the reprieve is probably temporary.

From Search Engine Land

Marketers heaved a major sigh of relief in the announcement’s wake, as they could now use the two new attributes to help Google better understand the link’s intent and use.

From Search Engine Watch

Rob Marshall lets a sigh of relief erupt so loud it could be heard by giants in the sky.

From The Daily Beast

But Lomax can heave a small sigh of relief, at least for now: Legislative reform to the 1033 program will not happen in 2014.

From The Daily Beast

“We can blame Carrie Bradshaw for this,” says Shaunaq Arora, half-joking; his sigh tinged with the cloudy breath of his Gauloises.

From The Daily Beast

Punctuating his comment with a loud sigh, Hart adds: “You have to live with that, you know?”

From The Daily Beast

When the Child Model Act was signed into law, model rights activists such as myself sounded a collective sigh of relief.

From The Daily Beast

And now I can recall that his eyes closed, and from his lips I caught a sigh, and then he rolled to the floor.

From Project Gutenberg

“Well, I hope he does,” sighed Sol, the sigh being breathed to give expression of what remained unspoken.

From Project Gutenberg

"I wish the old homes of England had electric lights," thought Miss Otis, with a sigh.

From Project Gutenberg

For hours the gray man would sit on a tombstone, while Black Sheep read epitaphs, and then with a sigh would stump home again.

From Project Gutenberg

"I fear, squire, hers is not a bodily affection," said Mrs. Dodd with a deep sigh.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cry
• exhale
• gasp
• groan
• howl
• moan
• murmur
• sob
• whisper
• whistle

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.

I have acquired a painful set of loneliness… Le sigh. pic.twitter.com/LWTopFBXz6

— Sarah Faye O'Connor (@SarahFOConnor) November 14, 2018

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.

All is restored! le sigh pic.twitter.com/JpY5SKuuQK

— Corlon Evans (@Corlon_Evans) November 12, 2018

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.

Gosh she was pretty *sigh* ♥️ pic.twitter.com/MwwlheUKpr

— Ǥαβʀιεlα 🦎🐲 (@noir_or_never) October 20, 2018

Good Morning from the Golden Retriever Channel. M and the kids are up early. Let's get a little wet. One of the kids wants a ride on the Purple Submarine. It's going to be a long day *sigh*

(Nicholberrygoldens IG) pic.twitter.com/o0tEWoBMIb

— Golden Retriever Channel (@GoldretrieverUS) May 21, 2020

 

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.