panting

present participle of pant
as in gasping
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty the dog was panting heavily after his breakneck run across the field

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of panting Howard’s best comedies have a light, almost effortless touch, but this one is panting and gasping essentially from the opening frames. Will Leitch, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025 Officers responding to the scene found the dog panting heavily, with excessive drool coating the back seat. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025 Kim Doggett walked outside last Sunday to find her chocolate cake on the floor of her back porch, brown paw prints on her new beige couch and a panting opossum lying on top of it. Dawn Sawyer, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025 Indeed, by the time the procedure was finished, the rabbit was sitting up in its cage, looking around, and panting considerably less. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 Phoebe, our dog, was panting, nervous, and running in circles around Dave. Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025 The Pomeranians, Noel and Xena (named for the warrior princess, naturally), were maybe a bit too eager, panting in the arms of their mother, Cathy, president of the American Pomeranian Club, who was wearing a Chanel-reminiscent metallic tweed newsboy cap. Chloe Malle, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2025 But there was a lot of panting and putting his head into his hands. Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2025 There were also canvas-panting and pumpkin-decorating stations, among other exciting things for the kids to do. Becca Longmire, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for panting
gasping
Verb
  • The fears of my imagination, the possibility of losing a child due to one inattentive moment, all combined to leave me gasping for breath.
    Adam Verner September 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Their difficult, high-flying act left the judges and live audience gasping.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Panting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/panting. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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