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 WebDeena Prichep, NPR, 14 Sep. 2024
Naomi Campbell's Most Glamorous Throwback Photos In videos from the event, the audience can be heard gasping in response.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
Issy Ronald, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
Even Blue Jays fans, upset that Ohtani didn’t choose them in free agency, let out an audible gasp.
—Doug Padilla, Orange County Register, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gasp 
Verb
About an hour before sunset, the birds begin to gather in the sky, and the crowd gasps and claps as the formation swirls around.
—Deena Prichep, NPR, 14 Sep. 2024
Naomi Campbell's Most Glamorous Throwback Photos In videos from the event, the audience can be heard gasping in response.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
Noun
Only a last gasp save from Callender prevented Philadelphia from equalizing in the 85th minute but shortly afterwards, Miami secured the win as Messi turned provider, feeding Suárez who found the corner of the net with a neat finish.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 15 Sep. 2024
Even Blue Jays fans, upset that Ohtani didn’t choose them in free agency, let out an audible gasp.
—Doug Padilla, Orange County Register, 12 Sep. 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 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share