sigh

1 of 2

verb

ˈsī 

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

ˈsī(-ə)r 

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

Synonyms of sigh

Verb

• gasp
• huff
• breathe
• snort
• sniff

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

But the film belongs to Farmer, Jacobs’ own grandmother, who gives Hettie an unfussy sturdiness of mien and spirit to counter the growing, sighing frailty of her person, and a steady, narrow stare that occasionally seems to see through time. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Feb. 2026

Dejan Furtula sighed with despair while looking at construction machines working around the clock to remove tons of trash clogging the Drina River near his hometown of Visegrad, in eastern Bosnia. —Eldar Emric, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026

Noun

News of the arrest came as a sigh of relief to Gershon. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

Harris, in particular, looks agitated, and just before walking through the curtains to take her place on stage, lets out a heavy sigh. —Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026

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

Phrases Containing sigh

• breathe a sigh of relief

Rhymes for sigh

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

sigh

1 of 2 verb

ˈsī 

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