I. ˈgasp, -aa(ə)sp, -aisp, -ȧsp verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English gaspen; akin to Old Norse geispa to yawn & perhaps to Old English geonian — more at yawn
intransitive verb
1. : to catch the breath convulsively and audibly often as an expression of shock, concern, or emotion
he gasped as he stepped into the icy water
gasping with surprise as he saw the new house
2. : to breathe laboriously with open mouth : pant strongly and audibly
the exhausted runner threw himself down and gasped
a dying man gasping for breath
broadly : to become completely exhausted
a handful of hypertrophied capitalists gasping under the load of their growing millions — G.B.Shaw
3. : to make a sound like that of a gasped breath
cans gasped under the knives — W.W.Haines
the engine gasped, caught, and settled into a smooth purr
transitive verb
: to emit or utter with gasps
she gasped a shocked denial
— often used with forth, out, away
he gasped out a plea for mercy
II. noun
( -s )
: an act of gasping or a gasping utterance