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. SwiftExamples 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 Web
Sara Braun, Kansas City Star, 30 Dec. 2025
Kids cheered, some adults gasped and there was a standing ovation.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
But after the first person made it to the ground, the second appeared to become entangled with an unknown object, leading to a clunky landing and cascade of gasps from onlookers.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gasp
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Verb
Fitness influencers gasping through their first seconds of cold immersion.
—Sara Braun, Kansas City Star, 30 Dec. 2025
Kids cheered, some adults gasped and there was a standing ovation.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
Noun
Check that out in the last gasp of your holiday break, and/or tick off a few more items from our mega holiday streaming movie guide.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
But after the first person made it to the ground, the second appeared to become entangled with an unknown object, leading to a clunky landing and cascade of gasps from onlookers.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gasp
Cite this Entry
“Gasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gasp. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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