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 WebJohn Blake, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
When McLaren Automotive dropped the Gordon Murray–designed F1 road car in 1992, the world collectively gasped.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 6 Apr. 2024
The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Backstage, the singers gasped and cheered when Lea revealed that she was given the opportunity to write for the album.
—Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
After running their first batch of 22s — a conditioning exercise requiring athletes to run the length of the court and back, down again and then back through the free throw line in 22 seconds or less — players are gasping for breath.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Directed by Gus van Sant, languorous, malicious meals unspool at La Côte Basque, the midtown society lunch spot, gloves are sought at Saks (they are shamed for being behind the times and told to–gasp–try Lord & Taylor).
—Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Montgomery dislodged an unspecified object from the airway of the baby, who began gasping for air and crying, police said in the social media post.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024
Diners gasped at bills that sometimes exceeded £1,800 ($2,270), as Nusr-Et charged £9 ($11.35) for still bottled water and £25 ($31.52) for burrata.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 20 Feb. 2024
Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The iconic song is like an unofficial battle cry for pop stars who burst on the scene young, wholesome, and innocent and then get chastised for—gasp—growing up.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
When the sun came back out nearly four minutes later, another gasp went up.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Like those previous rematches, the 2024 campaign seems like a holding action, the last gasp of a crumbling political order.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
When the Broncos appeared as a 10 seed with a slash next to Colorado, indicating the play-in game Wednesday, there were gasps followed by eerie silence.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
The verdict: When the brands were revealed after our blind test, there was a gasp when tasters learned Toll House had placed last.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 6 Mar. 2024
Writers and studios could create action heroes who have solar panels on their roofs, or drive electric cars — or, gasp, take buses or trains instead of driving.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The adrenaline-pumping routine elicited audible gasps and concerned yells from the judges and studio audience.
—USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Many Black Americans cheered, pumped their fists and exchanged high-fives, while many White Americans gasped in disbelief and anger.
—John Blake, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
When McLaren Automotive dropped the Gordon Murray–designed F1 road car in 1992, the world collectively gasped.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 6 Apr. 2024
The elephant then flips the vehicle over and the passengers can be heard gasping as the car rolls over.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Backstage, the singers gasped and cheered when Lea revealed that she was given the opportunity to write for the album.
—Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
After running their first batch of 22s — a conditioning exercise requiring athletes to run the length of the court and back, down again and then back through the free throw line in 22 seconds or less — players are gasping for breath.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Directed by Gus van Sant, languorous, malicious meals unspool at La Côte Basque, the midtown society lunch spot, gloves are sought at Saks (they are shamed for being behind the times and told to–gasp–try Lord & Taylor).
—Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Montgomery dislodged an unspecified object from the airway of the baby, who began gasping for air and crying, police said in the social media post.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2024
Diners gasped at bills that sometimes exceeded £1,800 ($2,270), as Nusr-Et charged £9 ($11.35) for still bottled water and £25 ($31.52) for burrata.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 20 Feb. 2024
Noun
These details led to audible gasps and flashes of cameras as the tent filled throughout the night.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The iconic song is like an unofficial battle cry for pop stars who burst on the scene young, wholesome, and innocent and then get chastised for—gasp—growing up.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024
When the sun came back out nearly four minutes later, another gasp went up.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Like those previous rematches, the 2024 campaign seems like a holding action, the last gasp of a crumbling political order.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
When the Broncos appeared as a 10 seed with a slash next to Colorado, indicating the play-in game Wednesday, there were gasps followed by eerie silence.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
The verdict: When the brands were revealed after our blind test, there was a gasp when tasters learned Toll House had placed last.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 6 Mar. 2024
Writers and studios could create action heroes who have solar panels on their roofs, or drive electric cars — or, gasp, take buses or trains instead of driving.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The adrenaline-pumping routine elicited audible gasps and concerned yells from the judges and studio audience.
—USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
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 23 Apr. 2024.
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