as in panting
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
the runner was audibly gasping by the end of the marathon
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Recent Examples of gasping
Within a few weeks of starting the treatments, O’Neal was walking without gasping and talking without pausing to gobble air.
—
Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Before Heuermann changed his plea, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney asked him to confirm details surrounding each murder as members of the victims' families were heard gasping and audibly crying in the courtroom gallery.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Slayyyter shimmies onto the beat like an amoral John Waters heroine, cruising over the choppy momentum while recounting a toxic love affair in gasping Fred Schneider intonation.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Olivia Miles makes the types of nifty passes that can leave fans gasping in astonishment.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Now, a walk down the block with his kids leaves him gasping for breath and reaching for his oxygen tank.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
She was allegedly admitted to the hospital and was found in her room the next morning, vomiting and gasping for air.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 13 Mar. 2026
This often results in a choking, snorting, or gasping sound as normal breathing resumes.
—Daniel Combs, Verywell Health, 9 Mar. 2026
The Iranian state television announcer was gasping for air.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Before Heuermann changed his plea, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney asked him to confirm details surrounding each murder as members of the victims' families were heard gasping and audibly crying in the courtroom gallery.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Slayyyter shimmies onto the beat like an amoral John Waters heroine, cruising over the choppy momentum while recounting a toxic love affair in gasping Fred Schneider intonation.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Olivia Miles makes the types of nifty passes that can leave fans gasping in astonishment.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Now, a walk down the block with his kids leaves him gasping for breath and reaching for his oxygen tank.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
She was allegedly admitted to the hospital and was found in her room the next morning, vomiting and gasping for air.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 13 Mar. 2026
This often results in a choking, snorting, or gasping sound as normal breathing resumes.
—Daniel Combs, Verywell Health, 9 Mar. 2026
The Iranian state television announcer was gasping for air.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gasping
panting
Verb
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Potential symptoms include rapid breathing, vomiting, panting and a high heart rate.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2026
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Eyes wide, panting near panic, Foster perfectly captures the audience's own fear of being alone in the dark with a monster.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gasping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gasping. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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