Synonyms of sighing

sighing

verb

present participle of sigh

as in gasping

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

• gasping
• breathing
• snorting
• sniffing
• huffing
• panting
• soughing
• wheezing
• exhaling
• puffing
• inhaling
• yawning
• respiring
• snuffling
• inspiring
• expiring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sighing

By the 11th game of the third set, Keys was hitting herself in the head with her racket, taking her cap off and sighing deep breaths that were either meant to steady her or out of exasperation. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026

The soundtrack—by the frequent Hans Zimmer collaborator David Fleming—is a delight, a polyphonic mood board of ghost-clangs, spooky bassoons, lyrical electro-motifs, and sighing sea themes. — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

The internet may be full of people who want to outlaw leaf blowers, but misophonic triggers tend to share a bodily quality, an aurally traceable culprit such as a person crunching or sighing. — Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Also, remember that the avatar is reading your body language, eye contact, any kind of sighing or moaning. — Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026

Watch On As every streaming platform inevitably becomes like linear TV and offers up more commercials than common sense, we're left sighing at the 360 that society has taken. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 3 June 2026

There are nearly two hundred people standing there, looking around and sighing. — Literary Hub, 27 May 2026

But the people in these plays aren’t sighing and slumping. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026

And while many might be reluctant to close the time capsule door on their beloved skinnies, some of us are sighing with relief that the current denim trend is comfy enough for travel. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2026