pant

1 of 5

verb

ˈpant 

panted; panting; pants

intransitive verb

1

a

: to breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner

b

: to run panting

c

: to move with or make a throbbing or puffing sound

2

: to long eagerly : yearn

3

: throb, pulsate

transitive verb

: to utter with panting : gasp

pant

2 of 5

noun

1

a

: a panting breath

b

: the visible movement of the chest accompanying such a breath

2

: a throbbing or puffing sound

pant

3 of 5

variant of pants sense 1

pant

4 of 5

adjective

: of or relating to pants

a pant leg

pant-

5 of 5

combining form

variants or panto-

: all

pantisocracy

Synonyms of pant

Verb

• gasp

Examples of pant in a Sentence

Verb

Dogs pant when they are hot.

The hikers were panting by the time they reached the top of the hill.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The window next to my desk overlooks the gym’s large communal exercise room, and throughout the day, I am taunted by the sight of gyrating bodies panting through a Zumba class or a kettlebell set. —Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 8 May 2026

For one, there’s Jean-Michel Basquiat’s monumental panting Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown), from 1983, set for Sotheby’s contemporary art sale on May 14, estimated at $45 million. —Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026

Noun

Mitchell Gaff opened the door wearing pajama pants, welcomed the trio into his house and agreed to a taste test, sampling different sticks of gum with enthusiasm, Logothetti recalled of the January 2024 encounter. —Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 10 May 2026

My mother-in-law has retired her jeans for more than 10 years now and also appreciates comfy, wide-leg travel pants that don’t compromise her look. —Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026

Adjective

Notably, its proprietor Neal Mello has earned local acclaim for being able to accurately assess the pant size of most anyone walking through the door. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2025

Wearing blazers with capris is one way to bring pant trend into fall and gives a cool, elevated edge to a business casual look. —Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, modification of Anglo-French panteiser, from Vulgar Latin *phantasiare to have hallucinations, from Greek phantasioun, from phantasia appearance, imagination — more at fancy

Combining form

Greek, from pant-, pas — more at pan-

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1892, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pant

• pant for breath
• yoga pant

Rhymes for pant

• ant
• aunt
• cant
• chant
• gant
• lant
• plant
• quant
• rant
• sant
• scant
• slant

Kids Definition

pant

verb

ˈpant

1

a

: to breathe hard or quickly : gasp

b

: to make a puffing sound

c

: to move forward with panting

the car panted up the hill

2

: to wish for eagerly : yearn

3

: to utter with panting

ran up and panted out the message

pant noun

Medical Definition

pant

intransitive verb

ˈpant 

: to breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner