gasp

See also: gäsp and GASP

English

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡɑːsp/, /ɡæsp/
• (Northern England, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ɡasp/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɡæsp/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːsp, -æsp

Verb

gasp (third-person singular simple present gasps, present participle gasping, simple past and past participle gasped)

1. (intransitive) To draw in the breath suddenly, as if from a shock.

   The audience gasped as the magician disappeared.

2. (intransitive) To 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.

   • c. 1761-1764, Robert Lloyd, An Epistle to C. Churchill, Author of the Rosicad

     She gasps and struggles hard for life.

   • (Can we date this quote?), Ankitaa Kaushal, Threads of Her Heart‎^[1], Forever Shinings Publication, page 37:

     Bon's thighs wrapped around her waist, and Annie moved against her slowly, watching every flutter of her lashes, every gasp that spilled out.

3. (transitive) To speak in a breathless manner.

   The old man gasped his last few words.

4. To pant with eagerness or excitement; to show vehement desire.

   I'm gasping for a cup of tea.

   • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “Aprill. Aegloga Quarta.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC:

     Quenching the gasping furrows' thirst with rain.

Translations

to draw in the breath suddenly — see also pant

• Armenian: հեւալ (hy) (hewal)
• Bulgarian: ахвам (bg) (ahvam)
• Catalan: boquejar (ca), esbufegar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 倒抽一口氣 / 倒抽一口气 (zh) (dào chōu yīkǒu qì)

• Czech: zajíknout se, zalapat po dechu
• Danish: gispe
• Dutch: hijgen (nl), snakken (nl)
• Esperanto: aĥi, aĥ-enspiri, anheleri, akrenspiri
• Finnish: haukkoa henkeään
• French: retenir son souffle (fr), haleter (fr)
• Galician: impar, salaiar, sospirar
• Georgian: ჩასუნთქვა (časuntkva)
• German: keuchen (de)
• Greek: λαχανιάζω (el) (lachaniázo), ασθμαίνω (el) (asthmaíno)
• Italian: restare senza fiato, restare a bocca aperta, trattenere il fiato, boccheggiare (it)
• Japanese: 息を呑む (ja) (いきをのむ, iki o nomu)
• Korean: 숨가쁘다 (sumgappeuda)
• Lithuanian: aiktelėti
• Māori: mote, kuha, mote (resulting from pain or fear or shock), huatare, whakaaeaea (for breathe)
• Norwegian: gispe

  Nynorsk: hiksta, gispa

• Portuguese: suspirar (pt)
• Russian: вздыха́ть (ru) impf (vzdyxátʹ), вздохну́ть (ru) pf (vzdoxnútʹ), (lit.: open mouth (in surprise)) открыва́ть рот (otkryvátʹ rot) (от удивле́ния)
• Scottish Gaelic: plosg
• Spanish: ahogar un grito, afogar un grito, boquear (es), respirar con dificultad
• Swedish: flämta (sv)

to breathe laboriously or convulsively

• Bulgarian: задъхвам се (zadăhvam se), дишам тежко (dišam težko)
• Catalan: panteixar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 喘息 (zh) (chuǎnxī), 氣促 / 气促 (zh) (qìcù)

• Czech: lapat po dechu, těžce dýchat, popadat dech
• Danish: gispe, hive efter vejret
• Esperanto: anheli (eo)
• Finnish: huohottaa, haukkoa (fi)
• French: haleter (fr), ahaner (fr)
• Galician: ampear (gl), arquexar (gl), alasar (gl), ofegar (gl), corexar, anquidar, folguexar (gl), inar (gl), alaiar
• Georgian: ხუთვა (xutva), გუდვა (gudva), ძნელად სუნთქვა (ʒnelad suntkva)
• German: japsen (de), prusten (de), keuchen (de)
• Greek: αγκομαχώ (el) (agkomachó)
• Hungarian: liheg (hu), fújtat (hu), zihál (hu)
• Italian: rantolare (it), ansimare (it), boccheggiare (it)
• Japanese: 喘ぐ (ja) (あえぐ, aegu)
• Korean: 숨가쁘다 (sumgappeuda)
• Latgalian: eļsinēt
• Latvian: elsot
• Lithuanian: dūsuoti
• Malay: tercungap-cungap
• Māori: huataue, hāhā, tare, whakaaeaea
• Marathi: धापा टाकणे (dhāpā ṭākṇe)
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: pese, hørje

• Portuguese: ofegar (pt), arquejar (pt)
• Russian: дыша́ть с трудо́м (dyšátʹ s trudóm), задыха́ться (ru) (zadyxátʹsja)
• Spanish: jadear (es)
• Swedish: kippa (sv)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: صولومق (solumak)

Noun

gasp (plural gasps)

1. A short, sudden intake of breath.

   The audience gave a gasp of astonishment

2. (UK, slang): A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper).

   I'm popping out for a gasp.

Derived terms

• agasp
• dying gasp
• gaspy
• last gasp

Translations

A short, sudden intake of breath

• Basque: arnasbehar, arnasestu
• Bulgarian: пъшкане (bg) n (păškane)
• Catalan: esbufec, panteix (ca), bleix (ca), sospir
• Czech: zalapání po dechu
• Danish: gisp n
• Esperanto: anhelo
• Finnish: henkäisy (fi), nopea hengenveto
• French: halètement (fr)
• Georgian: ჩასუნთქვა (časuntkva)
• German: Atemzug (de) m, Luftholen (de) n, Schnaufen (de) n, Keuchen (de) n, Prusten n
• Greek: λαχάνιασμα (el) n (lachániasma)
• Irish: uspóg f
• Italian: anelito (it), rantolo (it)
• Norwegian: gisp n
• Russian: судорожный вздох (sudorožnyj vzdox)
• Scottish Gaelic: plosg m
• Spanish: bocanada (es) f, grito ahogado m, grito afogado m, boqueada (es) f, bocarada (es) f
• Swedish: flämtning (sv)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: صولوق (soluk)

• Welsh: ebwch m

A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)

• Bulgarian: дърпане (bg) n (dărpane)
• Catalan: glopada f, bocada f
• Danish: drag (da) n, sug n, hiv n (slang), bap n (slang)
• Dutch: teug (nl) m or f, trek (nl) m
• Finnish: savut (fi)
• German: Zug (de) m
• Italian: tirata di sigaretta
• Norwegian: drag (no) n

  Bokmål: trekk n

• Portuguese: tragada
• Russian: затяжка (ru) f (zatjažka)
• Spanish: calada (es) f
• Swedish: bloss (sv) n

Interjection

gasp

1. (humorous) The sound of a gasp.

   Gasp! What will happen next?

Translations

Interjection representing a gasp

• Swedish: flämt

Anagrams

• PGAs, SPAG, AGPs, gaps, spag, PAGs, A-GPS, PASG, GPAs

Turkish

Etymology

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish غصب (gasb), from Arabic غَصْب (ḡaṣb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡasp/
• Hyphenation: gasp

Noun

gasp (definite accusative gasbı, plural gasplar)

1. usurpation, seizure by violence

Derived terms

• gasba uğramak
• gasben
• gasbetmek
• gasıp
• gaspçı
• yetki gasbı

Further reading

• “gasp”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu