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gasp
[ gasp, gahsp ]
noun
- a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.
- a convulsive effort to breathe.
- a short, convulsive utterance:
the words came out in gasps.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
- to utter with gasps (often followed by out, forth, away, etc.):
She gasped out the words.
- to breathe or emit with gasps (often followed by away ).
gasp
/ ɡɑːsp /
verb
- intr to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc
- intr; foll by after or for to crave
- troften foll byout to utter or emit breathlessly
noun
- a short convulsive intake of breath
- a short convulsive burst of speech
- at the last gasp
- at the point of death
- at the last moment
Derived Forms
- ˈgaspingly, adverb
Other Words From
- gasping·ly adverb
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of gasp1
Idioms and Phrases
- last gasp, the point of death; dying:
At his last gasp he confessed to the murder.
More idioms and phrases containing gasp
see last gasp .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
A sweet moron, but a moron nonetheless, which is evident as soon as Pattinson starts squeaking banalities in a nasal gasp that sounds as though he’s never gotten enough oxygen to his brain.
When we told the group that Jack’s body, vision and dream of becoming a pilot were all still intact, many gasped in awe that the science had advanced so far.
The statement is intended to shock and affirm his ongoing mastery of the media’s knee-jerk gasping condemnation.
Individually, they might make you pause, chuckle, gasp.
“The sheer volume of controversial orders leaves everyone gasping. Some are lawful and some are not. I am pretty confident that the courts will strike down the unlawful ones,” he said.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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