pant

1 of 5

verb

ˈpant 

panted; panting; pants

intransitive verb

1

a

: to breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner

b

: to run panting

c

: to move with or make a throbbing or puffing sound

2

: to long eagerly : yearn

3

: throb, pulsate

transitive verb

: to utter with panting : gasp

pant

2 of 5

noun

1

a

: a panting breath

b

: the visible movement of the chest accompanying such a breath

2

: a throbbing or puffing sound

pant

3 of 5

variant of pants sense 1

pant

4 of 5

adjective

: of or relating to pants

a pant leg

pant-

5 of 5

combining form

variants or panto-

: all

pantisocracy

Synonyms of pant

Verb

• gasp

Examples of pant in a Sentence

Verb

Dogs pant when they are hot.

The hikers were panting by the time they reached the top of the hill.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

On one of the machines a Cluely employee panted and huffed in the dark. —Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026

On a recent Friday, Bernhardt dressed up, with a cashmere sweater, a pair of baggy, Free People pants, and a pair of Ugg boots. —Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026

Noun

The sheer blush pink mesh design was trimmed with matching feathers along the neckline and featured a ruffle with a distressed hem at the bottom, showing off a glimpse of silk pants under her dress as well as a pair of pointy-toed slides. —Lara Walsh, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026

Planning ahead, keeping tabs on your spending and ensuring your actions match your long-term plans are key; don’t just fly by the seat of your pants. —Malana Vantyler, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026

Adjective

Notably, its proprietor Neal Mello has earned local acclaim for being able to accurately assess the pant size of most anyone walking through the door. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2025

Wearing blazers with capris is one way to bring pant trend into fall and gives a cool, elevated edge to a business casual look. —Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, modification of Anglo-French panteiser, from Vulgar Latin *phantasiare to have hallucinations, from Greek phantasioun, from phantasia appearance, imagination — more at fancy

Combining form

Greek, from pant-, pas — more at pan-

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1892, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pant

• pant for breath
• yoga pant

Rhymes for pant

• ant
• aunt
• cant
• chant
• gant
• lant
• plant
• quant
• rant
• sant
• scant
• slant

Kids Definition

pant

verb

ˈpant

1

a

: to breathe hard or quickly : gasp

b

: to make a puffing sound

c

: to move forward with panting

the car panted up the hill

2

: to wish for eagerly : yearn

3

: to utter with panting

ran up and panted out the message

pant noun

Medical Definition

pant

intransitive verb

ˈpant 

: to breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner