sigh

verb \ ˈsī \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: sigh in a Sentence

Definition of sigh

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

play \ˈsī(-ə)r\ noun

See sigh defined for English-language learners

See sigh defined for kids

Examples of sigh in a Sentence

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 of sigh from the Web

MoviePass users sighed with relief, but also a bit of trepidation.

— alissa wilkinson, Vox, "Why MoviePass is the future — even if it doesn’t survive," 6 July 2018
In flashback, there was William the philanthropist, hosting fancy fundraisers and sighing as nasty rich people blathered on at him.

— The Atlantic, "Westworld: Who Cares About the Man in Black?," 17 June 2018
When Annie goes home and proposes the same routine, Steve scoffs and sighs but, to placate her, goes along with it.

— anthony lane, The New Yorker, "“Hereditary” Delivers a New Kind of Horror," 7 June 2018
When Romeo did a split second, slightest-of-fake grab for the Vanderbilt hat, the state of Indiana got ready to sigh.

— dana hunsinger benbow, Indianapolis Star, "Why Romeo Langford means so much to basketball in Indiana," 4 May 2018
One timejump-20-minutes-into-this-film later, Han sighs his way through some grim, Full Metal Jacket-y battlefields before noticing potential fellow smugglers.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "Solo film review: Best when it embraces its favorite action-movie urges," 24 May 2018
Judge Salvador Vasquez denied the request for the mistrial, and Giro’s friends and family sighed and wiped away tears of relief at the decision.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "'She was in there the whole time': Witnesses say they saw defendant exit Lake Station home where woman's body found," 27 Apr. 2018
The caller sighed, then said something that struck Schell as odd.

— christopher solomon, Outside Online, "The Boy Who Lived on Edges," 22 Mar. 2018
Someone talks during the movie in the theater, and sighs permeate as everyone waits for someone else to confront the offender.

— alex horton, Houston Chronicle, "A crying toddler, a flying tub of popcorn, and a 'Last Jedi' screening that led to arrests," 4 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sigh.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sigh

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

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First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

sigh

noun

Definition of sigh

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

Recent Examples of sigh from the Web

Spend time enjoying the splashy music of cascades and mini-falls and the wet sigh of widening pools.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "10 best hikes in Arizona show off state's diverse scenery," 13 July 2018
There's a reason for the collective sigh among soccer fans when Neymar goes down.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "Youth soccer team is practicing Neymar's exaggerated World Cup flopping," 5 July 2018
Quite the sigh of relief for Argentina, which slouches off for halftime lucky not to be trailing.

— tariq panja, New York Times, "Croatia Buries Argentina’s World Cup Hopes in a Deep Hole," 22 June 2018
And the exhausted sigh is 100 percent my wife, Robin.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "A reunion with Futurama, because only one show used climactic math theorems," 10 June 2018
The sigh was because the question was actually quite common—which became obvious as scientists on Twitter revealed that they, too, had been queried as to the flatus status of their study animals.

— steve mirsky, Scientific American, "A Book That Bills Itself as “the Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence”," 1 June 2018
But this time the sporting euphoria feels like a sigh of relief, after the constant confrontation of recent years.

— The Economist, "Russia shows another side at the World Cup," 5 July 2018
England fans can breathe a sigh of relief, Gareth Southgate’s side are comfortable favourites in this fixture.

— SI.com, "World Cup Preview: England vs Panama - Recent Form, Team News, Predictions & More," 23 June 2018
While the agreement still needs to be finalized and then ratified by Teamsters members, the tentative deal will allow a large sigh of relief for UPS.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "260,000 UPS Workers Were Headed For a Massive Strike. But a New Deal Means They May Avoid It," 22 June 2018

First Known Use of sigh

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SIGH Defined for English Language Learners

sigh

verb

Definition of sigh for English Language Learners

: to take in and let out a long, loud breath in a way that shows you are bored, disappointed, relieved, etc.
: to make a sound like sighing
: to say (something) with a sigh