sighed; sighing; sighs
1
: to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief)
2
: to make a sound like sighing
wind sighing in the branches
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
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
Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
Watch glances, sighs President George H.W. Bush was criticized for looking down at his watch during the 1992 trilateral debate with Democrat Bill Clinton and independent candidate Ross Perot.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2023
With each new feature my friends and family — all who have purchased cars in the last 20 years — sighed and reminded me that these features were common and simply new to me.
—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 15 Aug. 2023
As the guests sipped from miniature glasses, sighing with satisfaction, Balogun started things off with his version of Nigerian pepper soup, using snapper as a base rather than the traditional snails.
—Camille Okhio, New York Times, 25 May 2023
Like Venetian blinds, Pratt sighs, moving his hands like shutters.
—Annalisa Quinn, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
But, still, sigh … This is a guy who missed an average of 35 games in the last three seasons with the Lakers.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2023
Justin Eaton looked around Mad Taco, which sits on the edge of Otter Creek, running his hands through his beard and sighing.
—Ellie Wolfe, BostonGlobe.com, 16 July 2023
Lawrence Gilbert sighs in exasperation at the marginalization.
—Samindra Kunti, Forbes, 16 July 2023
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2023
The information is relayed in sobs and sighs, and then the speakers gather themselves and continue in stops, starts, and contradictions.
—Wilson M. Sims, Longreads, 7 Sep. 2023
So start each day with a list of gratitude and end each day with a sigh of relief.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2023
Inside, a woman behind a desk looked up with a sigh.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2023
But local officials and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are finally breathing a collective sigh of relief.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2023
While plenty of grocery stores and big box retailers have self-checkout machines, Trader Joe's shoppers can breathe a huge sigh of relief and check that off their shopping list.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2023
During Thursday night’s 18-18 tie with the Eagles in the Browns’ third preseason game, York went 3 for 3 on his first three field goal attempts and the Browns and their fans breathed a huge sigh of relief.
—cleveland, 18 Aug. 2023
In 2000, Democrat Al Gore was mocked for his audible sighs during his debate with George W. Bush, as well as his decision to walk over and stand in front of Bush at one point in the debate.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2023
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Verb
And Ken simply sighs, running a hand over his face.
—Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
Watch glances, sighs President George H.W. Bush was criticized for looking down at his watch during the 1992 trilateral debate with Democrat Bill Clinton and independent candidate Ross Perot.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2023
With each new feature my friends and family — all who have purchased cars in the last 20 years — sighed and reminded me that these features were common and simply new to me.
—Brandon Widder, The Verge, 15 Aug. 2023
As the guests sipped from miniature glasses, sighing with satisfaction, Balogun started things off with his version of Nigerian pepper soup, using snapper as a base rather than the traditional snails.
—Camille Okhio, New York Times, 25 May 2023
Like Venetian blinds, Pratt sighs, moving his hands like shutters.
—Annalisa Quinn, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
But, still, sigh … This is a guy who missed an average of 35 games in the last three seasons with the Lakers.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2023
Justin Eaton looked around Mad Taco, which sits on the edge of Otter Creek, running his hands through his beard and sighing.
—Ellie Wolfe, BostonGlobe.com, 16 July 2023
Lawrence Gilbert sighs in exasperation at the marginalization.
—Samindra Kunti, Forbes, 16 July 2023
Noun
Rodrigo, an actress on a Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, performed each lyric with an appropriate tremble, snicker, or sigh.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2023
The information is relayed in sobs and sighs, and then the speakers gather themselves and continue in stops, starts, and contradictions.
—Wilson M. Sims, Longreads, 7 Sep. 2023
So start each day with a list of gratitude and end each day with a sigh of relief.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2023
Inside, a woman behind a desk looked up with a sigh.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2023
But local officials and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are finally breathing a collective sigh of relief.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2023
While plenty of grocery stores and big box retailers have self-checkout machines, Trader Joe's shoppers can breathe a huge sigh of relief and check that off their shopping list.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2023
During Thursday night’s 18-18 tie with the Eagles in the Browns’ third preseason game, York went 3 for 3 on his first three field goal attempts and the Browns and their fans breathed a huge sigh of relief.
—cleveland, 18 Aug. 2023
In 2000, Democrat Al Gore was mocked for his audible sighs during his debate with George W. Bush, as well as his decision to walk over and stand in front of Bush at one point in the debate.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2023
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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
Phrases Containing sigh
Articles Related to sigh
Dictionary Entries Near sigh
Cite this Entry
“Sigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sigh. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
sigh
1 of 2 verb1
: 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 noun1
: 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
Nglish: Translation of sigh for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of sigh for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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