gasp
noun
a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.
were gasping
-
past progressiveof gasp.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"Guillermo was still writing but we were gasping at all this architecture and that allowed us to visually create the film," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
It felt like when some of us were gasping for breath, everyone else just had a collective shrug and didn’t think anything of it.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
“They did an amazing job and, honestly, it didn’t look like they were gasping for air. It didn’t look like treading water,” Wheeler said.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2019
They were gasping along with the characters, laughing raucously, booing and hissing at bad guys, yelling out at the screen.
From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2019
And it was so strange that Jonah and Gary could have that conversation, while behind them, the other kids were gasping and shrieking.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
