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. SwiftSynonyms
Examples 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 WebEvan Forster, Parents, 17 June 2024
Signs of obstructive sleep apnea include snoring and waking up gasping.
—Jamie Friedlander Serrano, TIME, 6 June 2024
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 June 2024
Dodgers star exits with injury There was a collective gasp at Dodger Stadium in the seventh inning when L.A. star Mookie Betts was hit by a 97.9 mph fastball from Royals reliever Dan Altavilla.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for gasp 
Verb
If a baby starts gasping or coughing suddenly while eating or playing with small toys, look in their mouth for an obvious culprit.
—Evan Forster, Parents, 17 June 2024
Signs of obstructive sleep apnea include snoring and waking up gasping.
—Jamie Friedlander Serrano, TIME, 6 June 2024
Noun
And that late effort to try to keep a last-second gasp of a rally alive came after Tkachuk had already scored a goal and added an assist earlier in the game.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 June 2024
Dodgers star exits with injury There was a collective gasp at Dodger Stadium in the seventh inning when L.A. star Mookie Betts was hit by a 97.9 mph fastball from Royals reliever Dan Altavilla.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for gasp
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gasp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gasp
Cite this Entry
“Gasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gasp. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share