gasped; gasping; gasps
1
: to catch the breath convulsively and audibly (as with shock)
2
: to breathe laboriously
: to utter in a gasping manner
plural gasps
: an act of gasping : a sudden loud intake of breath with one's mouth because of surprise, shock, pain, etc.
He let out an audible gasp at the sight of the snake.
a gasp of surprise
His eyes looked wild and strange from the fever; he trembled continuously, and each breath he took sounded like a gasp for life.—
Robert C. O'Brien
Robert C. O'BrienIn the next hour Lemieux drew gasps from the crowd half a dozen more times …—E. M. Swift
E. M. SwiftExamples of gasp in a Sentence
Verb
Mom gasped in surprise at the sight of my sister's new haircut.
He gasped as he stepped into the icy water.
a dying man gasping for breath
She was gasping for air.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sofia Joseph, jsonline.com, 16 July 2025
If the person is not breathing or only gasping, CPR should begin immediately.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Dave Quinn, People.com, 22 July 2025
He was either shrouded in haze (the gasps of the fog machine eventually became indistinguishable from the vapor being collectively exhaled by the crowd) or obscured by low-angle backlighting.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gasp
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Verb
Onlookers gasped and seemed confused about what had happened.
—Sofia Joseph, jsonline.com, 16 July 2025
If the person is not breathing or only gasping, CPR should begin immediately.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Noun
One of my favorite things is hearing the gasps — those moments when the audience realizes something that fans of the series will connect to immediately.
—Dave Quinn, People.com, 22 July 2025
He was either shrouded in haze (the gasps of the fog machine eventually became indistinguishable from the vapor being collectively exhaled by the crowd) or obscured by low-angle backlighting.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for gasp
Cite this Entry
“Gasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gasp. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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