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. SwiftSynonyms
Examples 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
Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
In December 2024, Gomez reacted to her double nomination with a video on her Instagram Stories, in which gasped and buried her face in her hands after her name was called in the movies category.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Roan also caught some flak for – gasp – refusing to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president (although that didn’t stop the Harris-Walz campaign from trotting out a camo hat suspiciously close to her own merch).
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gasp 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
By midday Wednesday, distressed Santa Monica residents gasped in the smoke and strained against 40-mph wind gusts, dragging pets and suitcases to their cars to flee the mandatory evacuation zone north of San Vicente.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025
In December 2024, Gomez reacted to her double nomination with a video on her Instagram Stories, in which gasped and buried her face in her hands after her name was called in the movies category.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
After gasps in the audience, many got up and started to leave before Lookman, born in south London, was able to start his acceptance speech.
—Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Roan also caught some flak for – gasp – refusing to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president (although that didn’t stop the Harris-Walz campaign from trotting out a camo hat suspiciously close to her own merch).
—Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gasp
Dictionary Entries Near gasp
Cite this Entry
“Gasp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gasp. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share