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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sigh
Sabrina Impacciatore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The song’s gentle reggaetón shuffle is augmented by some lovely harp plucking, and backing vocals that seem to be sighing in agreement.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2025
Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2025
Those were moments where that felt like a really big sigh; like a huge breath out.
—Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sigh
Verb
Being in the theater with everyone sighing and laughing all together was a fantastic feeling.
—Sabrina Impacciatore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The song’s gentle reggaetón shuffle is augmented by some lovely harp plucking, and backing vocals that seem to be sighing in agreement.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2025
Noun
While the Miami Hurricanes are breathing a collective sigh of relief, the BYU Cougars are furious at their exclusion from the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
—Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2025
Those were moments where that felt like a really big sigh; like a huge breath out.
—Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sigh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sigh
Verb
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That one is a flimsy piano ballad where the duo’s approach to vocals—strangled, swirled and gasping—comes off more annoying than innovative, like a joke that isn’t funny anymore.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
12 Jan. 2026
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Those in the audience were heard clapping, cheering and even gasping during the performance.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There have been political whispers in South Windsor since the November election about whether the decision disqualifying Amadasun was part of a Republican ploy to keep Democrats from achieving a council supermajority.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
14 Jan. 2026
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What did Britt Lower whisper to Grande?—
Lindsey Bahr,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His longest breath hold without huffing O₂ is, unofficially, 10:17, which would place him fourth behind Serbian diver Branko Petrovic’s current world record of 11:54.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
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Cole Burston / Getty Images The Athletic has live coverage of Dodgers vs. Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series. TORONTO — Max Scherzer gritted his teeth and huffed.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Outside, the marinas become villages — food stalls, shaded lounges, the steady murmur of deals being courted.—
Eric Barton,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
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All of the murmurs point toward that.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This air filter allows your engine to breathe.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
9 Jan. 2026
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Hot Spell Milwaukee Hot Spell specializes in hot and cold contrast—relax into the wood fire heat, then breathe deeply through an ice-cold plunge into Lake Michigan.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The sound of the waves and the gurgle of cascading water radiate a monastic serenity; the spa has a fine selection of hot-stone and deep-tissue massages.—
Chandrahas Choudhury,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Mar. 2024
Verb
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Other episodes of the series will follow a bodybuilder obsessed with having a bulky physique, a woman who blends and snorts all her food, individuals addicted to eating grass, makeup and cardboard, and even a veteran with PTSD who filled his home with more than a hundred snakes.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
17 Dec. 2025
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The sow bounced forward a couple of times, snorting.—
William D. Brown,
Outdoor Life,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Now the babble about them is back.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
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Mesopotamian corpses, stirred by the babble of trade, wander the halls wrapped in shrouds of extravagant malice.—
David Velasco,
Harpers Magazine,
18 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Sigh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sigh. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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