sigh

verb

\ ˈsī

sighed; sighing; sighs

Definition of sigh

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

sigh

noun

Definition of sigh (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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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 Peter Kavinsky is fictional, and as such, his ability to spin out endless new content for the internet to sigh over is limited. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Noah Centineo and the rise of the wholesome internet boyfriend, explained," 28 Sep. 2018 Darryl Wrest: Brittany [sighs] found herself -- kind of between a rock and a hard place. — CBS News, "The search for a missing military wife takes NCIS agents into a dark world," 5 June 2018 Yossarian sighs, an acid echo of Milo’s hero, Calvin Coolidge. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "'Catch-22' catches the spirit of the book at Curio Theatre Company in West Philly," 9 May 2018 When Kuznetsov scored against Pittsburgh, Ovechkin closed his eyes, tilted back his head and sighed in relief. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "The Great Wait Is Finally Over: After 13 Seasons, Alex Ovechkin Is a Stanley Cup Champion," 11 June 2018 Weepiness Level: Sad sighing with one really good tear. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "15 Sad Movies for When You Need Something to Cry About," 3 Oct. 2018 As a model in a majestic explosion of pale green tulle stalked slowly across the stark, airy space like a peacock doing an intricate mating dance, Feiping sighed audibly. — Harper's BAZAAR, "Crazy Rich Couture," 15 Aug. 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Devout Catholics and art historians alike breathed a sigh of relief last night, when it was announced that the Crown of Thorns had survived the fire that consumed Notre-Dame Cathedral. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "How a Heroic Priest Helped Save the Crown of Thorns from the Notre-Dame Fire," 16 Apr. 2019 Those who thought these two were headed for divorce can breathe a sigh of relief. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The This Is Us Season 3 Finale Had So Many Big Reveals," 3 Apr. 2019 But investors seem to be breathing a sigh of relief. — Gunjan Banerji, WSJ, "Calm Blankets Markets From Stocks to Bonds, Even as Risks Remain," 22 Feb. 2019 British businesses breathed a sigh of relief, but feared the respite would be temporary unless politicians can resolve a political crisis that been building since the surprise result of the 2016 Brexit referendum. — Jill Lawless, The Seattle Times, "Shame, sadness in UK as Brexit reveals Parliament’s flaws," 14 Apr. 2019 Flustered but feeling mostly unscathed, the spider will breathe a sigh of relief and resume its daily routine … until the egg hatches. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Five Real Life Wasp Superpowers Not in Ant-Man and the Wasp," 22 Mar. 2018 Once that hurdle is cleared, Saints fans and the franchise itself will breathe a sigh of relief. — Clyde Verdin, NOLA.com, "Could the next Saints QB be in the draft, or is he in Buffalo?," 19 Feb. 2018 Instead, Biden started the hearing on a skeptical note by asking Hill to cite the precise physical locations for all of her allegations against Thomas, ostensibly forcing her to repeat them through sighs. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "What's Missing from Joe Biden's Anita Hill Comments," 27 Mar. 2019 The commercial went viral, and women everywhere heaved a sigh of relief and put down their blowdryers. — Leah Prinzivalli, Glamour, "The 10 Most Groundbreaking Beauty Campaigns of 2018," 22 Dec. 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.