sigh

1 of 2

verb

ˈsī

sighed; sighing; sighs

Synonyms of sigh next

intransitive verb

: to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief)

: to make a sound like sighing

wind sighing in the branches

: grieve, yearn

sighing for days gone by

transitive verb

: to express by sighs

archaic : to utter sighs over : mourn

sigher

ˈsī(-ə)r

noun

sigh

2 of 2

noun

: an often involuntary act of sighing especially when expressing an emotion or feeling (such as weariness or relief)

: the sound of gently moving or escaping air

sighs of the summer breeze

Example Sentences

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

Now, hearing about the new restaurant’s foibles, Dudas sighed. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 15 May 2023 As every graceful hop barely but decisively landed, the audience sighed with relief and burst into applause. —

Danielle Echeverria, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 May 2023 Queen Charlotte is blessedly more confident at the task it was actually designed for, which is delivering a romance worth sighing and giggling over. —

Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2023 Emily Skinner, playing a violin teacher with a concert career behind her, is often sighing at the side of the stage. —

Vulture, 26 Apr. 2023 Veteran Cory Joseph scored 22 points on them and wing Eugene Omoruyi, who just sighed another 10-day contract, scored 17 points. —

Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Mar. 2023 The team found that people experiencing suicidal thoughts sighed more and laughed less than others. —

Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2023 As coach Wes Miller sighed, UC had a key 73-71 Quadrant 1 win. —

Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 19 Feb. 2023 Go ahead and sigh. —

Katia Hetter, CNN, 8 Mar. 2023

Noun

As for the Ravens, their celebrating — or sigh of relief — began a few hours before the draft even started with reaching terms with quarterback Lamar Jackson on a five-year contract extension. —

Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2023 Its main symptom is a reflexive sigh of exasperation every time the senator introduces another bill that will invariably cause political headaches, accompanied usually with begrudging respect for his relentless lobbying for the measure. —

Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023 Speaking of steering, the 750S retains hydraulic assistance—to a collective sigh of relief from the McLaren faithful—albeit with a quicker ratio and a new pump to reduce bump-steer. —

Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2023 Irina was the next Love Is Blind castmember to take accountability during the reunion, uttering her first words through tears over sighs of skepticism from the audience. —

Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2023 South Africa lets out an almost tangible sigh of relief as COVID-19 restrictions on movement and the purchasing of alcohol and cigarettes — substances banned during the pandemic due to their negative health effects — are lifted incrementally. —

Seretse Letswalo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2023 After the global markets breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday, fears were stoked again when this news looked to have the potential to topple Credit Suisse, one of the 50 biggest banks in the world. —

Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023 By the end of the first, the Beavers’ struggling offense had sent 10 batters to the plate, scored five runs and released a gigantic sigh of relief. —

Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 15 Mar. 2023 Warm and nostalgic, the final pages are a picture-perfect finish that elicit a sigh of relief. —

Allison Cho, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2023 See More

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.