˜yÐÄvlog

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gasp

[ gasp, gahsp ]

noun

  1. a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.
  2. a convulsive effort to breathe.
  3. a short, convulsive utterance:

    the words came out in gasps.



verb (used without object)

  1. to catch one's breath.

    Synonyms: ,

  2. to struggle for breath with the mouth open; breathe convulsively.

    Synonyms: ,

  3. to long with breathless eagerness; desire; crave (usually followed by for or after ).

verb (used with object)

  1. to utter with gasps (often followed by out, forth, away, etc.):

    She gasped out the words.

  2. to breathe or emit with gasps (often followed by away ).

gasp

/ ɡɑ˲õ±è /

verb

  1. intr to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc
  2. intr; foll by after or for to crave
  3. troften foll byout to utter or emit breathlessly
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a short convulsive intake of breath
  2. a short convulsive burst of speech
  3. at the last gasp
    1. at the point of death
    2. at the last moment
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ²µ²¹²õ±è¾±²Ô²µ±ô²â, adverb
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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ²µ²¹²õ±èi²Ô²µÂ·±ô²â adverb
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of gasp1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gaspen, probably Old English *²µÄå²õ±è±ð²Ô, equivalent to Old Norse geispa; akin to gape
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of gasp1

C14: from Old Norse geispa to yawn; related to Swedish dialect gispa, Danish gispe
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. last gasp, the point of death; dying:

    At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.

More idioms and phrases containing gasp

see last gasp .
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Synonym Study

See pant 1.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"We were gasping for our breath," he recalled.

From

Some here fear it's on its last gasp.

From

The next, their gasps and grunts turn carnal, almost violent.

From

And in the last gasps of a season that once seemed destined for something special, that was a particularly difficult pill for Smith and her teammates to swallow.

From

A huge cloud of smoke and fire can then be seen as it crashes to the ground, while gasps of shock can be heard from the watching crowd.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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