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
Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025
Viral videos of the attack showed the lioness, Leona, lying next to the glass separating her from visitors, who gasp in shock as the teen shimmies down a tree.
—CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025
Labuschagne’s was the worst of the lot, a genuinely lazy shot from the first ball of the session which elicited gasps and headshakes from the crowd.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gasp
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Verb
Members of his family seated in the gallery audibly gasped and broke down in tears as Cole entered the courtroom and sat down next to his attorney, John Shoreman.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025
Viral videos of the attack showed the lioness, Leona, lying next to the glass separating her from visitors, who gasp in shock as the teen shimmies down a tree.
—CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025
Noun
Bhatt begins with some reminiscing—and a gasp.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025
Labuschagne’s was the worst of the lot, a genuinely lazy shot from the first ball of the session which elicited gasps and headshakes from the crowd.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gasp
Cite this Entry
“Gasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gasp. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
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