Meanings
gasp1
verbgasp (third-person singular simple present gasps, present participle gasping, simple past and past participle gasped)
present singular third person gasps · participle present gasping · participle past gasped · past gasped
- intransitiveTo breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion; to respire with heaving of the breast; to pant.
We were all gasping when we reached the summit.
2 more examples
c. 1761-1764, Robert Lloyd, An Epistle to C. Churchill, Author of the Rosicad She gasps and struggles hard for life.
Bon's thighs wrapped around her waist, and Annie moved against her slowly, watching every flutter of her lashes, every gasp that spilled out.
(Can we date this quote?), Ankitaa Kaushal, Threads of Her Heart, Forever Shinings Publication, page 37 - To pant with eagerness or excitement; to show vehement desire.
I'm gasping for a cup of tea.
1 more example
Quenching the gasping furrows' thirst with rain.
1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Aprill. Aegloga Quarta.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC
noungasp (plural gasps)
plural gasps
- A short, sudden intake of breath.
The audience gave a gasp of astonishment
interjection
- humorousThe sound of a gasp.
Gasp! What will happen next?
GASP2
adjectiveGASP (comparative more GASP, superlative most GASP)
comparative more GASP · superlative most GASP
- abbreviationacronymAcronym of globalist, academic, secular, and progressive.
1 more example
Those who dwell outside of Western Establishment bastions are not idiots just because they do not mouth the pieties of GASP. Some of them can write very well. There are other traditions, you know. They could write for Wikipedia, if you let them. But such true openness and genuine tolerance is unacceptable, precisely because those other traditions fail to pay exclusive homage to GASP sources, through which—Wikipedians imagine—all the benefits of global civilization flow.
2025 September 30, Larry Sanger, “2. Enable competing articles.”, in larrysanger.org
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
gasp · verb, noun, interjection
- Old Norsegeispa“to yawn”
- Middle Englishgaspen
- Englishgasp
From Middle English gaspen, gayspen (“to gape, outbreathe”), related to and likely derived from Old Norse geispa (“to yawn”) or its descendant Danish gispe, which may be related to gapa (“to gape”).
More words from Middle English, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque arnasbehar, arnasestu
- arnasbeharA short, sudden intake of breath
- arnasestuA short, sudden intake of breath
Bulgarian ахвам, задъхвам се
- ахвам (ahvam)to draw in the breath suddenly
- задъхвам се (zadăhvam se)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
- дишам тежко (dišam težko)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
- пъшкане (păškane)A short, sudden intake of breath
- дърпане (dărpane)A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Catalan boquejar, esbufegar
- boquejarto draw in the breath suddenly
- esbufegarto draw in the breath suddenly
- panteixarto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- esbufecA short, sudden intake of breath
- panteixA short, sudden intake of breath
- bleixA short, sudden intake of breath
- sospirA short, sudden intake of breath
- glopadaA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
- bocadaA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Chinese Mandarin 倒抽一口氣 /倒抽一口气, 喘息
- 倒抽一口氣 /倒抽一口气 (dào chōu yīkǒu qì)to draw in the breath suddenly
- 喘息 (chuǎnxī)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
- 氣促 /气促 (qìcù)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
Czech zajíknout se, zalapat po dechu
- zajíknout seto draw in the breath suddenly
- zalapat po dechuto draw in the breath suddenly
- lapat po dechuto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- těžce dýchatto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- popadat dechto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- zalapání po dechuA short, sudden intake of breath
Danish gispe, gispe
- gispeto draw in the breath suddenly
- gispeto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- hive efter vejretto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- gispA short, sudden intake of breath
- dragA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
- sugA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
- hivA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
- bapA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Dutch hijgen, snakken
- hijgento draw in the breath suddenly
- snakkento draw in the breath suddenly
- teugA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
- trekA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Esperanto aĥi, aĥ-enspiri
- aĥito draw in the breath suddenly
- aĥ-enspirito draw in the breath suddenly
- anhelerito draw in the breath suddenly
- akrenspirito draw in the breath suddenly
- anhelito breathe laboriously or convulsively
- anheloA short, sudden intake of breath
Finnish haukkoa henkeään, huohottaa
- haukkoa henkeäänto draw in the breath suddenly
- huohottaato breathe laboriously or convulsively
- haukkoato breathe laboriously or convulsively
- henkäisyA short, sudden intake of breath
- nopea hengenvetoA short, sudden intake of breath
- savutA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
French retenir son souffle, haleter
- retenir son souffleto draw in the breath suddenly
- haleterto draw in the breath suddenly
- haleterto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- ahanerto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- halètementA short, sudden intake of breath
German keuchen, japsen
- keuchento draw in the breath suddenly
- japsento breathe laboriously or convulsively
- prustento breathe laboriously or convulsively
- keuchento breathe laboriously or convulsively
- AtemzugA short, sudden intake of breath
- LuftholenA short, sudden intake of breath
- SchnaufenA short, sudden intake of breath
- KeuchenA short, sudden intake of breath
- PrustenA short, sudden intake of breath
- ZugA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Greek λαχανιάζω, ασθμαίνω
- λαχανιάζω (lachaniázo)to draw in the breath suddenly
- ασθμαίνω (asthmaíno)to draw in the breath suddenly
- αγκομαχώ (agkomachó)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
- λαχάνιασμα (lachániasma)A short, sudden intake of breath
Hungarian liheg, fújtat
- lihegto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- fújtatto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- zihálto breathe laboriously or convulsively
Irish uspóg
- uspógA short, sudden intake of breath
Italian restare senza fiato, restare a bocca aperta
- restare senza fiatoto draw in the breath suddenly
- restare a bocca apertato draw in the breath suddenly
- trattenere il fiatoto draw in the breath suddenly
- boccheggiareto draw in the breath suddenly
- rantolareto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- ansimareto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- boccheggiareto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- anelitoA short, sudden intake of breath
- rantoloA short, sudden intake of breath
- tirata di sigarettaA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Japanese 息を呑む, 喘ぐ
- 息を呑む (iki o nomu)to draw in the breath suddenly
- 喘ぐ (aegu)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
Korean 숨가쁘다, 숨가쁘다
- 숨가쁘다 (sumgappeuda)to draw in the breath suddenly
- 숨가쁘다 (sumgappeuda)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
Latvian elsot
- elsotto breathe laboriously or convulsively
Lithuanian aiktelėti, dūsuoti
- aiktelėtito draw in the breath suddenly
- dūsuotito breathe laboriously or convulsively
Malay tercungap-cungap
- tercungap-cungapto breathe laboriously or convulsively
Māori mote, kuha
- moteto draw in the breath suddenly
- kuhato draw in the breath suddenly
- moteto draw in the breath suddenly
- huatareto draw in the breath suddenly
- whakaaeaeato draw in the breath suddenly
- huataueto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- hāhāto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- tareto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- whakaaeaeato breathe laboriously or convulsively
Norwegian gispe, gisp
- gispeto draw in the breath suddenly
- gispA short, sudden intake of breath
- dragA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Norwegian Bokmål trekk
- trekkA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Portuguese suspirar, ofegar
- suspirarto draw in the breath suddenly
- ofegarto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- arquejarto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- tragadaA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Russian вздыха́ть, вздохну́ть
- вздыха́ть (vzdyxátʹ)to draw in the breath suddenly
- вздохну́ть (vzdoxnútʹ)to draw in the breath suddenly
- открыва́ть рот (otkryvátʹ rot)to draw in the breath suddenly
- дыша́ть с трудо́м (dyšátʹ s trudóm)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
- задыха́ться (zadyxátʹsja)to breathe laboriously or convulsively
- судорожный вздох (sudorožnyj vzdox)A short, sudden intake of breath
- затяжка (zatjažka)A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Scottish Gaelic plosg, plosg
- plosgto draw in the breath suddenly
- plosgA short, sudden intake of breath
Spanish ahogar un grito, afogar un grito
- ahogar un gritoto draw in the breath suddenly
- afogar un gritoto draw in the breath suddenly
- boquearto draw in the breath suddenly
- respirar con dificultadto draw in the breath suddenly
- jadearto breathe laboriously or convulsively
- bocanadaA short, sudden intake of breath
- grito ahogadoA short, sudden intake of breath
- grito afogadoA short, sudden intake of breath
- boqueadaA short, sudden intake of breath
- bocaradaA short, sudden intake of breath
- caladaA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
Swedish flämta, kippa
- flämtato draw in the breath suddenly
- kippato breathe laboriously or convulsively
- flämtningA short, sudden intake of breath
- blossA draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)
- flämtInterjection representing a gasp
Welsh ebwch
- ebwchA short, sudden intake of breath
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gasp
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
gasp. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gasp
MLA
“gasp.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gasp. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gasp,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gasp.
Source: gasp on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.