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
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
Bonds signs some autographs, then takes a seat on the bench in the Giants dugout next to his mother, puts his head in his hands, and sighs.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
As the New York Rangers poured goal after goal into the Nashville Predators’ net Monday, fans and players let out not only cheers but also sighs of relief.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Rothbauer, the bartender, sighs.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Affleck sighs and rolls her eyes.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
Bonds signs some autographs, then takes a seat on the bench in the Giants dugout next to his mother, puts his head in his hands, and sighs.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
As the New York Rangers poured goal after goal into the Nashville Predators’ net Monday, fans and players let out not only cheers but also sighs of relief.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Rothbauer, the bartender, sighs.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Affleck sighs and rolls her eyes.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sighs
Noun
-
The recent whispers were inspired by a resurfaced Comic-Con clip in which Claffey's 11-year-old costar, Dexter Sol Ansell, appears to confirm that the former Superman actor will appear in season 2 of AKOTSK.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
-
To listen to these quiet galactic whispers, scientists need the right tools.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Upon announcing her status as a Faithful, the whole room gasps.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The rest of the gang rushes inside to be at Eleven’s side and save the children who are trapped inside on the Pain Tree, while Vecna burbles and gasps for air.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That was reflected on the ice for much of his first season, too, when the murmurs were many.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Sometimes there were murmurs around the police station from older officers about what Binion got up to back in the day.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the video, Chilli sniffs large bricks to locate the scent a trainer shared with him.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Your daughter breathes that same air, inhaling the virus directly into her respiratory tract.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Clearing right-of-way strips can result in the loss of trees and native vegetation; crackles, hisses and humming can be heard nearby especially during periods of high humidity; and farm fields and animal habitat can be affected by construction activities.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The song eventually escalates into a lecherous, breathless, glittering climax of incandescent synthesizers and melodic moans—an erotic asphyxiation depicted as utterly glorious.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sighs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sighs. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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