gasp

1 of 2

verb

ˈgasp 

gasped; gasping; gasps

intransitive verb

1

: to catch the breath convulsively and audibly (as with shock)

2

: to breathe laboriously

transitive verb

: to utter in a gasping manner

gasp

2 of 2

noun

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

In the next hour Lemieux drew gasps from the crowd half a dozen more times …

—E. M. Swift

Synonyms

Verb

• blow
• heave
• hyperventilate
• pant
• puff
• wheeze

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 Web

Verb

Clearly thrilled, Rae gasps, then smiles wide for a selfie with them. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2025

Lisa Warwick found her husband gasping for air at the foot of the basement stairs and knew the miracle was over. —J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 7 Dec. 2024

Noun

There were also gasps, as a few didn’t-see-that-coming shocks spiced up some key categories. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025

Startled, the little girl gasps, spins around in panic before sprinting back to her bed and launching herself onto it. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English; akin to Old Norse geispa to yawn

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gasp

• last-gasp
• last-gasp goal

Kids Definition

gasp

verb

ˈgasp 

1

: to draw in a breath sharply (as with shock)

2

: to breathe with difficulty : pant

3

: to utter with quick difficult breaths

gasp noun