gasp.
To draw in the breath suddenly, as if from a shock.
Meaning & usage
To draw in the breath suddenly, as if from a shock.
The audience gasped as the magician disappeared.
To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion; to respire with heaving of the breast; to pant.
We were all gasping when we reached the summit.
To speak in a breathless manner.
The old man gasped his last few words.
To pant with eagerness or excitement; to show vehement desire.
I'm gasping for a cup of tea.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English gaspen, gayspen (“to gape, outbreathe”), related to and likely derived from Old Norse geispa (“to yawn”) or its descendant Danish gispe, which may be related to gapa (“to gape”).
A short, sudden intake of breath.
The audience gave a gasp of astonishment
A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper).
I'm popping out for a gasp.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English gaspen, gayspen (“to gape, outbreathe”), related to and likely derived from Old Norse geispa (“to yawn”) or its descendant Danish gispe, which may be related to gapa (“to gape”).
The sound of a gasp.
Gasp! What will happen next?
Where this word comes from
From Middle English gaspen, gayspen (“to gape, outbreathe”), related to and likely derived from Old Norse geispa (“to yawn”) or its descendant Danish gispe, which may be related to gapa (“to gape”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.