sigh

1 of 3

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 3

noun (1)

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

sigher

3 of 3

noun (2)

sigh·​er ˈsī(ə)r 

-īə

plural -s

: one that sighs

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

Lifting a stem of cauliflower to his lips, my brother sighs deeply. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

With that, the Australian reporters sighed and smiled and the underdog-loving fans here likely will as well. — Vic Tafur, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Noun

Céline hit it before letting out a sigh of relief, almost suspended in that moment. — Blanche Marcel, Vanity Fair, 20 Sep. 2026

That blast wasn’t as important in this win, but as October approaches, sigh-of-relief homers don’t get much bigger. — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 15 Sep. 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 (1)

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