as in huffs
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 sighs
Kirsten Acuna, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
In the series premiere of Netflix’s Vladimir, Rachel Weisz awakens from troubled sleep to a cascade of texts, sighs deeply, and addresses the camera with pleading eyes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
The room quickly filled with laughter, sighs and long, nostalgic pauses.
—Tala Ahmadi, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Lady Gun’s footman Alfie sighs in relief when his taxing employer leaves for the evening.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Everyone oohs and aahs over this development, but Mu Hee just looks at Hiro and sighs.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
When placed in front of him, the child either cowers backward in fear and sighs with relief when it's turned off or uses the Force to deactivate it.
—Kirsten Acuna, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
In the series premiere of Netflix’s Vladimir, Rachel Weisz awakens from troubled sleep to a cascade of texts, sighs deeply, and addresses the camera with pleading eyes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
The room quickly filled with laughter, sighs and long, nostalgic pauses.
—Tala Ahmadi, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Lady Gun’s footman Alfie sighs in relief when his taxing employer leaves for the evening.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Everyone oohs and aahs over this development, but Mu Hee just looks at Hiro and sighs.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sighs
Verb
-
At this, the paddock gasps in unison.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
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Another video shows Wallen walking back towards the piano, as the audience gasps and cheers in response.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Those whispers turned into roars in the bottom of the fifth inning when PCA sent a screamer down the first-base line and cruised into second for a double.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
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Unsurprisingly, whispers and accusations of nepotism surround Max’s appointment, with Leon Rice having led the program as head coach since 2010, and the father-son connection is undeniably part of why Max returned to Boise State.—
Shaun Goodwin
June 8,
Idaho Statesman,
8 June 2026
Verb
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In the video, Chilli sniffs large bricks to locate the scent a trainer shared with him.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Tovar is the one officer who immediately sniffs out that there’s something weird about Gacy, and Luna incrementally nudges the character further and further into obsession.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
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That absence has allowed for murmurs of doubt to seep in and create a space for a new enclave of rap fans to dismiss his music as generationally specific despite his very real track record and influence over pop culture.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Ferrari five-valve engines are known for their thin low-end power, but this tuned V-8 breathes freely enough to pull more strongly throughout the rev range.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
17 June 2026
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Although everyone breathes polluted air, children, elderly, and historically disadvantaged communities are hurt the most.—
Chris Hartmann,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Up in the stands, fans waved their own flags — including some sneaked in over the objections of FIFA and the courts — and wrestled with emotions, as boos, howls and hisses rained down from all corners of the stadium.—
Rick Maese,
Washington Post,
16 June 2026
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Spray paint hisses and music envelops Amsterdam Avenue as Knicks colors cover the sidewalk.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Noun
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The moans announced the doubt throughout Riviera’s 18th green amphitheater, a bowl full of thousands of fans unsure if the new guy could do it.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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At the moment that B’Tselem says Hathaleen collapsed, the visuals are jostled but moans of pain can be heard.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sighs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sighs. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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