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

The final frames of the Season 2 finale had the lovebirds rejoicing at their latest reunion, while those who prefer her professional endeavors sighed at the slip-up. — Ashley Lee, chicagotribune.com, "Romantic comedies like ‘Younger’ leave ‘happily ever after’ at the altar," 6 Sep. 2019 What followed was a pause of about a minute, where the woman occasionally sighed and mumbled to herself. — Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, "Contra Costa DA unveils case against former public defender clerk accused of witness murder plot," 25 July 2019 Senghor, who wore a yellow dress shirt to court, sighed heavily in relief after hearing the verdict. — Justin Phillips, SFChronicle.com, "Bissap Baobab chef receives probation, no prison term, in immigration case," 22 Aug. 2019 More than 10,000 people in Appalachia will sigh with relief this month after two donors from the region helped nonprofit RIP Medical Debt purchase and forgive $10 million of medical debt. — Phil Mccausland, NBC News, "10,000 in Appalachia will see medical debt forgiven, highlighting national issue," 27 July 2019 Natalie Morales plays Manning’s disapproving daughter, Nicole, who exists mainly to sigh at her dad’s addiction to his job and his brawn-over-brains approach to it. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Stuber Is an Old-School Buddy Comedy Made for 2019," 12 July 2019 As a result, Americans benefited from a period of prosperity and domestic collaboration while the world sighed a breath of relief as the Cold War drew to a close. — WSJ, "Empathy Makes Presidents More Effective," 18 Nov. 2018 My boyfriend sighed, smiled ruefully and squeezed my hand, and then the host of the party came over to yank me onto the dance floor. — Stephanie Dolgoff, Good Housekeeping, "Why We Have to Talk About What Happened in High School," 27 Sep. 2018 Well, so far in the apparently cursed Mets uniform (no sighing out there, Mariners fans), Diaz has thrown 39.1 innings to a 4.81 ERA, with 22 saves and 61 strikeouts, proving once again that relievers’ results tend to be volatile. — oregonlive.com, "Did the Seattle Mariners fleece the New York Mets?," 26 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Like the speakers, the touchpad is a spitting image of the original Blade 15’s, which brought me a sigh of relief. — Stefan Etienne, The Verge, "Razer Blade 15 dual storage review: too much compromise," 8 Nov. 2018 The rest of the state mostly favors whiskey and vodka, with Jack Daniels and Tito’s the top two in dollar sales and in units in 2016-17 (Fireball, sigh, was No. 1 in unit sales in 2015-16). — Mark Dent, Philly.com, "Forget craft beer - Philly loves brandy," 28 June 2018 But while the establishment has uttered a shaky (likely short-lived) sigh of relief, patriot-for-hire Steve Bannon’s valedictory yawp is reverberating across Europe. — Isobel Thompson, The Hive, "Steve Bannon, Patriot for Hire, Says “Vaffanculo” in Italy," 1 June 2018 Shawn Butzin specializes in rustling country and twangy Americana, while Anthony Retka is a mood-setting, sigh-inducing folk singer. — Jeff Milo, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit music: Magic Bag hosts Native Howl, Gasoline Gypsies; War & Treaty at Otus Supply," 31 May 2018 Elaine writes to Ben in a note about her future, and: sigh. — Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "The Graduate 50 Years After Its Oscar Win," 3 Mar. 2018 And for everyone else to bury their heads in their hands and sigh. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Watch a Truck Pay for Its Huge Mistake in Torturous Slow Motion," 22 Sep. 2016 But more than anything, Swift gets to play with her attitude, dropping in signature vocal quirks over the toe-tapping beat, backgrounded by a chorus of dramatic sighs. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "Let's Discuss the Lyrics to Every Song on Taylor Swift's Lover," 23 Aug. 2019 Then, with a deep sigh, Dokey waited for his three pursuers to converge on him. — Larry Millett, Twin Cities, "From the archives: Murder-on-a-stick: A Pioneer Press serial mystery novel (Chapter 1)," 21 Aug. 2019

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.