Adjacent Words

Gasp definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

G`ASP, v.i.
1. To open the mouth wide in catching the breath or in laborious respiration; particularly in dying.
2. To long for. [Not in use.]
G`ASP, v.t. To emit breath by opening wide the mouth.
And with short sobs he gasps away his breath.
G`ASP, n. The act of opening the mouth to catch the breath.
1. The short catch of the breath in the agonies of death.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open; "she gave a gasp and fainted" [syn: gasp, pant] v
1: breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted; "The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily" [syn: pant, puff, gasp, heave]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English; akin to Old Norse geispa to yawn Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to catch the breath convulsively and audibly (as with shock) 2. to breathe laboriously transitive verb to utter in a gasping manner • gasp noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. catch one's breath with an open mouth as in exhaustion or astonishment. 2 intr. (foll. by for) strain to obtain by gasping (gasped for air). 3 tr. (often foll. by out) utter with gasps. --n. a convulsive catching of breath. Phrases and idioms: at one's last gasp 1 at the point of death. 2 exhausted. Etymology: ME f. ON geispa: cf. geip idle talk

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gasp Gasp, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gasped; p. pr. & vb. n. Gasping.] [OE. gaspen, gaispen, to yawn, gasp, Icel. geispa to yawn; akin to Sw. g["a]spa, Dan. gispe to gasp.] 1. To open the mouth wide in catching the breath, or in laborious respiration; to labor for breath; to respire convulsively; to pant violently. She gasps and struggles hard for life. --Lloyd. 2. To pant with eagerness; to show vehement desire. Quenching the gasping furrows' thirst with rain. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gasp Gasp, v. t. To emit or utter with gasps; -- with forth, out, away, etc. And with short sobs he gasps away his breath. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gasp Gasp, n. The act of opening the mouth convulsively to catch the breath; a labored respiration; a painful catching of the breath. At the last gasp, at the point of death. --Addison.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(gasps, gasping, gasped) 1. A gasp is a short quick breath of air that you take in through your mouth, especially when you are surprised, shocked, or in pain. An audible gasp went round the court as the jury announced the verdict... She gave a small gasp of pain. N-COUNT: usu with supp 2. When you gasp, you take a short quick breath through your mouth, especially when you are surprised, shocked, or in pain. She gasped for air and drew in a lungful of water... I heard myself gasp and cry out. VERB: V for n, V, also V with quote 3. You describe something as the last gasp to emphasize that it is the final part of something or happens at the last possible moment. ...the last gasp of a dying system of censorship... PHRASE: usu PHR of n, PHR n [emphasis]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. Pant, puff, blow, labor for breath, breathe convulsively.

Moby Thesaurus

Aqua-Lung, artificial respiration, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze, bake, bark, bawl, be in heat, bellow, blare, blat, blaze, bloom, blow, blubber, boil, boom, bray, break down, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, broil, broken wind, burn, burn out, buzz, cackle, chant, chirp, choke, collapse, combust, coo, cook, cough, crack up, crow, drawl, droop, drop, exclaim, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expel, expiration, expire, exsufflation, faint, fatigue, flag, flame, flame up, flare, flare up, flicker, flush, flute, fry, get tired, give out, glow, grow weary, growl, grunt, gulp, hack, heave, hiccup, hiss, huff, incandesce, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, iron lung, jade, keen, lilt, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, mumble, murmur, mutter, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, pant, parch, peter out, pipe, play out, poop out, puff, puff and blow, radiate heat, respiration, respire, roar, roast, rumble, run down, run out, scald, scorch, scream, screech, scuba, seethe, shimmer with heat, shriek, sibilate, sigh, simmer, sing, sink, smolder, smother, snap, snarl, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, sob, spark, squall, squawk, squeal, steam, sternutation, stertor, stew, stifle, succumb, suffocate, suspiration, sweat, swelter, thunder, tire, toast, trumpet, twang, wail, warble, weary, wheeze, whine, whisper, wilt, wind, yap, yawp, yell, yelp