as in gasping
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
the dog was panting heavily after his breakneck run across the field
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Recent Examples of panting
Potential symptoms include rapid breathing, vomiting, panting and a high heart rate.
—
Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
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
User @briadeshaun took a more relatable route and impersonated an out-of-shape owl, worn out from flying and repeatedly panting to catch its breath.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Her dog panting, unquestioning, always thrilled to see her.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Gus was awake and panting at his feet.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Canines might be stressed and anxious, which can be shown through panting, whining, barking, pacing or fidgeting.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Gives himself entirely to the race, shoots like a phantom up through the opening and then stands panting in the garret, completely motionless, while his eyes become accustomed to the change of light.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
Her husband was a bear — wild, panting, with sweat pasting his T-shirt to his chest.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
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
User @briadeshaun took a more relatable route and impersonated an out-of-shape owl, worn out from flying and repeatedly panting to catch its breath.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Her dog panting, unquestioning, always thrilled to see her.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
Gus was awake and panting at his feet.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Canines might be stressed and anxious, which can be shown through panting, whining, barking, pacing or fidgeting.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Gives himself entirely to the race, shoots like a phantom up through the opening and then stands panting in the garret, completely motionless, while his eyes become accustomed to the change of light.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
Her husband was a bear — wild, panting, with sweat pasting his T-shirt to his chest.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panting
gasping
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Panting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panting. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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