sigh

1 of 2

verb

sighed; sighing; sighs

intransitive verb

1
: to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief)
2
: to make a sound like sighing
wind sighing in the branches
3
: grieve, yearn
sighing for days gone by

transitive verb

1
: to express by sighs
2
archaic : to utter sighs over : mourn
sigher noun

sigh

2 of 2

noun

1
: an often involuntary act of sighing especially when expressing an emotion or feeling (such as weariness or relief)
2
: the sound of gently moving or escaping air
sighs of the summer breeze

Examples of sigh in a Sentence

Verb He sighed with relief when he saw that he passed the test. The wind sighed through the trees. “I may never see my old home again,” she sighed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Alice and Jack sigh late in the series, giddy at the spectacle of their own suffering. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024 The audience sniffled and sighed, accompanying them. Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 The teaser imagined the producer walking in on Maitlis doing her makeup, and the anchor deeply sighed. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 And yet the public consensus seems to be … sigh … 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 https://t.co/9WxUlccDEKJanuary 22, 2024 See more Some, like playwright Michael R. Jackson, bemoaned the film's stripping the book of its teeth. Scott Hocker, theweek, 31 Jan. 2024 After Houthi attacks on shipping targets continued into this week, Ben Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities, a think tank which advocates restraint in U.S. foreign policy, sighed in frustration. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 Advertisement Gavin Newsom can only sigh with envy. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Another time at the same location, a different worker heard the beep and audibly sighed. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023 In the film, as the female protagonist learns that her beau also kept the fast for her, an entire generation of future wives collectively sighed and swore to continue this unique, if archaic, tradition for the sake of their true love. Noor Anand Chawla, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2023
Noun
Halpin took a sigh of relief and got ready for lights, camera, Vegas. Bryan West, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 The new one retains his debut’s easygoing preciousness: the deadpan sense of humor, a coolly observant interest in the divide between city and country, and the sighs Dorji wants to elicit from the Himalayan landscape. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2024 But there was still a sigh of relief when the Florida Panthers captain’s wrist shot got past a sprawling Alexandar Georgiev midway through the third period of Florida’s 4-0 shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2024 Screams of excitement at successful field goals and sighs of despair at missed plays filled the room. Detroit Free Press, 22 Jan. 2024 Kawhi Leonard’s introduction in the Clippers’ starting lineup Monday evening was met by a familiar roar through Crypto.com Arena — the sound of a collective sigh of relief of seeing Leonard again after missing four consecutive games with a left hip contusion. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 That, surely, strengthened their bond even more and got them through until August 2023, when the ladies finally returned to the K-pop scene and their fans breathed a collective sigh of relief (and bursting-at-the-seams excitement). Sarah Han, Allure, 9 Feb. 2024 With each thud emanating from a hard fall and every ankle twist, a collective sigh almost reverberates around Spectrum Center. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 When the iconic Barneys New York retail store closed its doors on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills five years ago, a collective sigh of despair could be heard from its loyal customers. Marilyn Black, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sigh.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sihen, alteration of sichen, from Old English sīcan; akin to Middle Dutch versiken to sigh

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sigh was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sigh

Cite this Entry

“Sigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sigh. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sigh

1 of 2 verb
1
: to take or let out a long loud breath (as in weariness or relief)
2
: to make a sound like sighing
wind sighing in the branches
3
: yearn sense 1
sighing for the good old days

sigh

2 of 2 noun
1
: an often involuntary act of sighing especially when expressing a feeling
2
: the sound of gently moving or escaping air
the sighs of a summer breeze

More from Merriam-Webster on sigh

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