Adjacent Words

Sigh definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SIGH, v.i. To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual and immediately expel it; to suffer a single deep respiration. He sighed deeply in his spirit. Mark 8.
SIGH, v.t.
1. To lament; to mourn. Ages to come and men unborn Shall bless her name and sigh her fate.
2. To express by sighs. The gentle swain-sighs back her grief.
SIGH, n. A single deep respiration; a long breath; the inhaling of larger quantity of air than usual, and the sudden emission of it. This is an effort of nature to dilate the lungs and give vigor to the circulation of the blood, when the action of the heart and arteries is languid from grief, depression of spirits, weakness or want of exercise. Hence sighs are indications of grief of debility.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an utterance made by exhaling audibly [syn: sigh, suspiration]
2: a sound like a person sighing; "she heard the sigh of the wind in the trees" v
1: heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily; "She sighed sadly" [syn: sigh, suspire]
2: utter with a sigh

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English sihen, alteration of sichen, from Old English s?can; akin to Middle Dutch versiken to sigh Date: 13th century intransitive verb 1. to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief) 2. to make a sound like sighing <wind sighing in the branches> 3. grieve, yearn <sighing for days gone by> transitive verb 1. to express by sighs 2. archaic to utter sighs over ; mourn • sigher noun II. noun Date: 14th century 1. an often involuntary act of sighing especially when expressing an emotion or feeling (as weariness or relief) 2. the sound of gently moving or escaping air <sighs of the summer breeze>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. emit a long deep audible breath expressive of sadness, weariness, longing, relief, etc. 2 intr. (foll. by for) yearn for (a lost person or thing). 3 tr. utter or express with sighs ('Never!' he sighed). 4 intr. (of the wind etc.) make a sound like sighing. --n. 1 the act or an instance of sighing. 2 a sound made in sighing (a sigh of relief). Etymology: ME sihen etc., prob. back-form. f. sihte past of sihen f. OE sican

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sigh Sigh, n. [OE. sigh; cf. OE. sik. See Sigh, v. i.] 1. A deep and prolonged audible inspiration or respiration of air, as when fatigued or grieved; the act of sighing. I could drive the boat with my sighs. --Shak. 2. Figuratively, a manifestation of grief; a lan?ent. With their sighs the air Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sigh Sigh, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sighed; p. pr. & vb. n. Sighing.] [OE. sighen, si?en; cf. also OE. siken, AS. s[=i]can, and OE. sighten, si?ten, sichten, AS. siccettan; all, perhaps, of imitative origin.] 1. To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, or the like. 2. Hence, to lament; to grieve. He sighed deeply in his spirit. --Mark viii. 12. 3. To make a sound like sighing. And the coming wind did roar more loud, And the sails did sigh like sedge. --Coleridge. The winter winds are wearily sighing. --Tennyson. Note: An extraordinary pronunciation of this word as s[=i]th is still heard in England and among the illiterate in the United States.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sigh Sigh, v. t. 1. To exhale (the breath) in sighs. Never man sighed truer breath. --Shak. 2. To utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over. Ages to come, and men unborn, Shall bless her name, and sigh her fate. --Pior. 3. To express by sighs; to utter in or with sighs. They . . . sighed forth proverbs. --Shak. The gentle swain . . . sighs back her grief. --Hoole.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sighs, sighing, sighed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. When you sigh, you let out a deep breath, as a way of expressing feelings such as disappointment, tiredness, or pleasure. Michael sighed wearily... Dad sighed and stood up. VERB: V prep/adv, V • Sigh is also a noun. She kicked off her shoes with a sigh... N-COUNT 2. If you sigh something, you say it with a sigh. 'Oh, sorry. I forgot.'—'Everyone forgets,' the girl sighed. VERB: V with quote 3. If people breathe or heave a sigh of relief, they feel happy that something unpleasant has not happened or is no longer happening. There was a big sigh of relief once the economic reform plan was agreed... PHRASE: sigh inflects, PHR after v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Long breath. II. v. n. Grieve, mourn, complain, lament.

Moby Thesaurus

Aqua-Lung, ache, artificial respiration, aspirate, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze, bark, bated breath, bawl, bellow, bemoan, bewail, blare, blat, blow, blubber, boom, bray, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, breathy voice, broken wind, buzz, cackle, chant, chirp, coo, cough, crave, crow, deplore, dirge, drawl, dream, elegize, exclaim, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expel, expiration, expire, exsufflation, flute, gasp, give sorrow words, grieve, groan, growl, grunt, gulp, hack, hanker, hiccup, hiss, howl, huff, hunger, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, iron lung, keen, knell, lament, lilt, little voice, low voice, lust, maffle, moan, moaning, mourn, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, mumble, mumbling, murmur, murmuration, murmuring, mussitate, mutter, muttering, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, pant, pine, pine for, pipe, puff, repine, respiration, respire, roar, rumble, scream, screech, scuba, shriek, sibilate, sigh for, sighing, sing, sing the blues, snap, snarl, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, sob, sobbing, sock, soft voice, sorrow, sough, soughing, sound, squall, squawk, squeal, stage whisper, sternutation, stertor, still small voice, suspiration, susurrate, susurration, susurrus, thunder, trumpet, twang, underbreath, undertone, wail, warble, weep over, wheeze, whine, whining, whisper, whispering, whistle, wind, yap, yawp, yearn for, yell, yelp