I. gasp 1 /ɡɑːsp $ ɡæsp/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: geispa 'to yawn' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to breathe in suddenly in a way that can be heard, especially because you are surprised or in pain
gasp in/with
Ollie gasped with pain and slumped forward.
gasp at
The audience gasped at the splendour of the costumes.
‘My leg!’ he gasped. ‘I think it’s broken!’
2 . [intransitive] to breathe quickly in a way that can be heard because you are having difficulty breathing ⇨ pant
gasp for air/breath
Brendan climbed slowly, gasping for breath.
3 . be gasping (for something) British English spoken to feel that you urgently need something such as a drink or cigarette:
I’m gasping for a pint!
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ breathe [intransitive and transitive] to take air into your lungs and send it out again:
Mary knew he was asleep because he was breathing deeply.
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He breathed the clear spring air.
▪ sigh to breathe out slowly and make a noise that shows you are disappointed, tired, ↑ relieved etc:
She just sighed and shook her head.
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‘Never mind,’ he sighed. ‘I’m sure there’ll be other opportunities.’
▪ pant to breathe quickly and noisily through your mouth, because you have been using a lot of effort:
They were panting by the time they got to the finish line.
▪ gasp to breathe very quickly and deeply and with difficulty:
Her eyes were wide, and she was gasping for breath.
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‘Do you think you can walk?’ ‘I’ll try to,’ he gasped.
▪ snore to breathe noisily while you are sleeping:
I couldn’t sleep because my husband was snoring.
▪ wheeze to breathe with difficulty, making a noise in your throat and chest, because you are ill:
His asthma was making him wheeze.
▪ be out of breath to be unable to breathe easily, especially because you have been running or doing other exercise:
I was out of breath by the time we reached the top of the hill.
▪ be short of breath to be unable to breathe easily, especially because you are unhealthy:
Because she was so overweight, she was often short of breath.
II. gasp 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . when you take in a breath suddenly in a way that can be heard, especially because you are surprised or in pain
gasp of
With a gasp of pure horror, Lewis jumped up and ran.
She gave a little gasp and clutched George’s hand.
2 . when you breathe in air quickly because you are having difficulty breathing:
Her breath came in shallow gasps.
3 . sb’s/sth’s last gasp the time when someone is about to die, or when something is about to stop happening or existing:
the last gasp of an industry in decline