as in to gasp
to take in and let out a deep audible breath or to make a similar sound
Mom always used to sigh loudly whenever she found a mess on the floor—which was often a breeze sighed through the leaves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 sigh
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The Renaissance master, whose name is only ever sighed in the same breath as Leonardo and Michelangelo, supposedly traded truth for beauty, and ended up destroying both.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 8 May 2026
The incumbents, at a lively watch party, said the early results that showed them in the lead felt like a sigh of relief.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sigh
Verb
No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The Renaissance master, whose name is only ever sighed in the same breath as Leonardo and Michelangelo, supposedly traded truth for beauty, and ended up destroying both.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Virginia Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief Friday after the state Supreme Court blocked the new congressional map approved by voters last month.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 8 May 2026
The incumbents, at a lively watch party, said the early results that showed them in the lead felt like a sigh of relief.
—Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sigh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sigh
Verb
-
Twice, witnesses reported, Hopper gasped as the lethal injection drugs flowed into his bloodstream.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
-
In the clip, Meghan gasps as the statue is uncovered from beneath a cloth, visibly stunned by the sentimental present.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
News reports would later surface that Keenan was negotiating with the Detroit Red Wings during the Rangers’ playoff run, but Olczyk and many of his teammates had already heard whispers.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
Grande sings that lyric in a low tone, not quite a whisper, but something just as fragile and out of breath.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Difluoroethane is a gas often used in cans of compressed air, which can be huffed to produce a high, while alprazolam is the generic form of brand-name Xanax.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, Spurs, under their third manager of the season, were huffing and puffing in their attempts to blow Wolves’ defence down.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
From inside the Old Pilgrim, the murmur of voices sounded like a television show streaming in another room.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
The famous voice occasionally softens into a murmur.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
From an evolutionary perspective, this tells us that sneezing is closely tied to life on land and the challenges of breathing air filled with particles, spores, smoke, allergens and microbes.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The children include a 6-month-old baby who briefly stopped breathing, a 12-year-old boy who developed hives and a 17-year-old who suffered from a severe asthma attack.—
Maya Miller,
ProPublica,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
There are mud pools from Yellowstone National Park that have a squeamish gurgle, and hearing them amid a crackling bonfire feels unexpectedly harmonious, even plausible.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Her stomach made an audible gurgle.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Depending on what your child does, a Fingerling might blink, giggle, shake its head, snort or even burp.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Police allegedly found 641 glassine bags, including one that was tested and was found to be heroin/fentanyl, 1.78 grams of cocaine, 0.52g of crack cocaine, nine Adderall capsules, plastic and glass straws commonly used to snort narcotics and $232, according to Cleverdon.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The film almost completely drops any and all scientific babble from the book in favor of character development, action sequences, and emotional gut punches.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Read a book and sip tea in front of the central fireplace, swim between the indoor and outdoor sections of the glimmering pool, and soak your aching quads in the hot tubs under the evergreens and aspens while listening to the peaceful babble of Gore Creek.—
Sarah Kuta,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sigh. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
