gasp

American  

[gasp, gahsp] / gæsp, gɑsp /

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.

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verb (used without object)

1. to catch one's breath.

   Synonyms:

   blow, puff

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

   Synonyms:

   blow, puff

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

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 byaway ).

idioms

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

   At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.

gasp British  

/ ɡɑːsp /

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. to utter or emit breathlessly

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noun

1. a short convulsive intake of breath

2. a short convulsive burst of speech

3. 1. at the point of death

   2. at the last moment

gasp More Idioms  

1. see last gasp.

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Related Words

See pant ¹.

Other Word Forms

• gaspingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of gasp

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gaspen, probably Old English *gāspen, equivalent to Old Norse geispa; akin to gape

Example Sentences

There’s not much more to say without giving it all away, so prepare to titter, gasp, scream and cheer for this juicy slice of indulgent women’s entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times

Because even though the moment left his teammates jumping on the bench and gasping for air, it did nothing to stave off a Lakers loss.

From Los Angeles Times

I hear people scrambling around, some gasps, and teacher-shoed feet running to me, but also the unmistakable sound of Gene the Mean laughing.

From Literature

There were gasps from the crowd as the ball either thudded into a Glamorgan batter or the gloves of Kent keeper Steve Marsh.

From BBC

However, a pass interference penalty advanced the ball to the Marquez 39 and gave the Rams one last gasp with zeros on the clock.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• choke
• snort
• whoop