gasped; gasping; gasps
1
: to catch the breath convulsively and audibly (as with shock)
2
: to breathe laboriously
: to utter in a gasping manner
plural gasps
: an act of gasping : a sudden loud intake of breath with one's mouth because of surprise, shock, pain, etc.
He let out an audible gasp at the sight of the snake.
a gasp of surprise
His eyes looked wild and strange from the fever; he trembled continuously, and each breath he took sounded like a gasp for life.—
Robert C. O'Brien
Robert C. O'BrienIn the next hour Lemieux drew gasps from the crowd half a dozen more times …—E. M. Swift
E. M. SwiftExamples of gasp in a Sentence
Verb
Mom gasped in surprise at the sight of my sister's new haircut.
He gasped as he stepped into the icy water.
a dying man gasping for breath
She was gasping for air.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Ally repeatedly asked while gasping as about a dozen of her friends chuckled nearby.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Oct. 2025
The last-gasp winner came from Liverpool’s failure to clear effectively from a long throw and Jeremie Frimpong’s decision to rush out (circled below) rather than stay with Eddie Nketiah, who used the space left behind to fire home.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gasp
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Verb
After months marked by corruption, violence, and the open perversion of law, to gasp in outrage at the loss of a few tons of masonry and mortar might seem oddly misjudged.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Ally repeatedly asked while gasping as about a dozen of her friends chuckled nearby.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Brown made a gasp-worthy touchdown catch against App State in late September, climbing the ladder to reel in a pass, before slamming into the turf and breaking his nose as his helmet popped off.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Oct. 2025
The last-gasp winner came from Liverpool’s failure to clear effectively from a long throw and Jeremie Frimpong’s decision to rush out (circled below) rather than stay with Eddie Nketiah, who used the space left behind to fire home.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gasp
Cite this Entry
“Gasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gasp. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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