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
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Recent Examples of sigh
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Rather than fighting this system, or even fighting Janice Dickinson, Banks would sigh sadly and tell the women that this was just the way the industry worked.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 19 Feb. 2026
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Viktor Orbán’s election defeat was met with a huge sigh of relief, and a bit of schadenfreude, in Brussels, as European officials hope a new Hungarian government will bring more pro-European attitude to the table.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sigh
Verb
The tension compelled viewers to sway with her, panic with her every jump, sigh in relief after each flawless landing.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Rather than fighting this system, or even fighting Janice Dickinson, Banks would sigh sadly and tell the women that this was just the way the industry worked.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
Signing a 10-year lease was a sigh of relief for the company, the result of a lengthy search that included more than 80 spaces and ensured its playful, fanciful shows would continue to be a multigenerational, SoCal tradition.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Viktor Orbán’s election defeat was met with a huge sigh of relief, and a bit of schadenfreude, in Brussels, as European officials hope a new Hungarian government will bring more pro-European attitude to the table.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sigh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sigh
Verb
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Natural Wonders the Whole Family Will Love Mount Rainier National Park in Washington is the kind of place that makes kids gasp.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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Of course, this being DC and the WHCD, there are always whispers and smoke.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
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In Islamabad, the almost indecipherable whisper of leaks has turned to crickets.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Isaac Hayden huffed and puffed but received little support from Blackpool’s Karoy Anderson.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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Washington’s Copium But the White House is huffing its own brand of copium.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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One thing that sets him apart from a contemporary such as Pieter de Hooch, to whom he is instinctively likened, is a murmur that the stillness may not hold.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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But murmurs of laughter broke out a few times when justices noted constitutional tensions in the case.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Wright’s fieldwork largely predates the AI shock that has breathed new life into this push.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
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Spurs fans can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing their team can not only win without Wembanyama, but there is now also less reason to rush him back.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Her stomach made an audible gurgle.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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In the field, Harry Truman’s Approval Rating whinnied and tossed its head, and Richard Nixon’s Approval Rating flopped on one side and emitted a horrible gurgle.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Skaggs, 27, snorted the pill and died in a Texas hotel room on July 1, 2019, choking on his own vomit.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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The plucky kid who seemingly had a fast-track job and a beyond-dreams wife is now desperately snorting it all away.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 1 May. 2026.
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