Library / English Dictionary

GASP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A short labored intake of breath with the mouth open

Example:

she gave a gasp and fainted

Synonyms:

gasp; pant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("gasp" is a kind of...):

aspiration; breathing in; inhalation; inspiration; intake (the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing)

Derivation:

gasp (breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted

Example:

The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily

Synonyms:

gasp; heave; pant; puff

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "gasp" is one way to...):

blow (exhale hard)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

gasp (a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Does the patient have periods of (or complain of) shortness of breath, gasping, or sighing for no apparent reason other than nervousness?

(NPI - Periods of Shortness of Breath, Gasping, or Sighing for No Apparent Reason, NCI Thesaurus)

Pertussis begins like a cold, but develops into severe coughing and gasping for air.

(Pertussis, NCI Dictionary)

I gasped for breath, and throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life?

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

The poor man's breathing came in uncertain gasps.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Jo gave a sort of gasp, as if a cold shower bath had suddenly fallen upon her, for such an unexpected turning of the tables actually took her breath away.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Now he was pale and wild-eyed, gasping as he breathed like one who has run far and fast.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Harrison!” I gasped. “It’s Boy Jim!”

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“Approach me again, you—you—you HEEP of infamy,” gasped Mr. Micawber, “and if your head is human, I'll break it. Come on, come on!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

It was cold, and he gasped, breathing quickly.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

His strength left him, and the last his mates saw of him he lay gasping in the snow and yearning toward them.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)