as in pants
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
the runner was audibly gasping by the end of the marathon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of gasps
Yohana Desta, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2026
The clashes drew bursts of laughter and, sometimes, gasps, from the show's studio audience and from home viewers.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 15 Dec. 2025
In the first photo, Woodruff gasps in surprise and covers her mouth with her hand as Lawley holds her other hand while on bended knee.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Demerzel gasps, and for once Day isn’t preening in the mirror but bowing his head.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
The rest of the gang rushes inside to be at Eleven’s side and save the children who are trapped inside on the Pain Tree, while Vecna burbles and gasps for air.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for gasps
Verb
-
Its large kangaroo pocket—in tandem with the jogger pants’ two deep side pockets—provides plenty of storage for your most important in-flight essentials.—
-
And for your downtime, stock up on comfortable and casual staples like Levi’s jeans and the Spanx pants that Reese Witherspoon just wore.—
Verb
-
The quarterback mishandles the snap and heaves the ball, which is picked off.—
-
Several mega-talented Georgia defensive backs appeared to short-circuit and forget how to track a ball in the air on Tennessee heaves.—
Noun
-
When whispers of these new allegations began to receive national coverage, many outlets were cynical and tried to debunk them.—
-
Normally, scent voices are mere whispers compared to the screams and angry shouts of humans, but in that section, certain sensitive plant species shrieked incessantly because of their proximity to plants that hindered their growth.—
Noun
-
All of the murmurs point toward that.—
-
After deciding to run it back in the offseason, there are murmurs that one of the team’s top players might be on the block sooner rather than later.—
Noun
-
Clearing right-of-way strips can result in the loss of trees and native vegetation; crackles, hisses and humming can be heard nearby especially during periods of high humidity; and farm fields and animal habitat can be affected by construction activities.—
Noun
-
Stein’s bedroom adjoined the room where Dodge would visit her lover at night; kept awake by the murmurings and moans, Stein lit a candle and composed a portrait of her host.—
-
Most of these are held in a tent, from which loud, ecstatic moans can be heard for seemingly miles around.—
Cite this Entry
“Gasps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gasps. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share