gasp

See also: gäsp

English

Etymology

From Middle English. Related to and possibly derived from Old Norse geispa or Danish gispe.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɡɑːsp/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡæsp/

• CA synth

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsp

Noun

gasp (plural gasps)

1. A short, sudden intake of breath.

   The audience gave a gasp of astonishment

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

   I'm popping out for a gasp.

Translations

A short, sudden intake of breath

• Bulgarian: пъшкане (bg) n (pǎškane)
• Finnish: henkäisy, nopea hengenveto
• French: halètement (fr)
• Greek: λαχάνιασμα (el) n (lachániasma)
• Italian: anelito, rantolo (it)

• Norwegian: gisp n
• Scottish Gaelic: plosg m
• Spanish: bocanada (es) f
• Swedish: flämtning

A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper)

• Bulgarian: дърпане (bg) n (dǎrpane)
• Finnish: savut
• Italian: tirata di sigaretta

• Norwegian: drag (no) n

  Bokmål: trekk n

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 laboriously or convulsively.

   We were all gasping when we reached the summit.

   • Lloyd

     She gasps and struggles hard for life.

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

   The old man gasped his last few words.

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

   I'm gasping for a cup of tea.

   • Spenser

     Quenching the gasping furrows' thirst with rain.

Translations

to draw in the breath suddenly

• Armenian: հեւալ (hewal)
• Bulgarian: ахвам (bg) (ahvam)
• Czech: zajíknout se
• Dutch: hijgen (nl), snakken (nl)
• Esperanto: anheli (eo)
• Finnish: haukkoa henkeään
• French: retenir son souffle (fr)
• German: keuchen (de)
• Greek: λαχανιάζω (el) (lachaniázo), ασθμαίνω (el) (asthmaíno)

• Italian: restare senza fiato, restare a bocca aperta, trattenere il fiato
• Japanese: 息を呑む (いきをのむ, iki o nomu)
• Korean: 숨가쁘다 (sum-gappuda)
• Maori: mote, kuha, mote (resulting from pain or fear or shock), huatare
• Norwegian: gispe
• 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
• Swedish: flämta (sv), kippa (sv)

to breathe laboriously or convulsively

• Bulgarian: задъхвам се (zadǎhvam se), дишам тежко (dišam težko)
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: lapat po dechu, těžce dýchat
• Finnish: huohottaa
• French: haleter (fr), ahaner (fr)
• German: japsen (de)
• Hungarian: liheg (hu), fújtat (hu), zihál (hu)
• Italian: rantolare, ansimare (it), boccheggiare (it)

• Japanese: 喘ぐ (ja) (あえぐ, aegu)
• Korean: 숨가쁘다 (sum-gappuda)
• Latgalian: eļsinēt
• Latvian: elsot
• Maori: huataue, hāhā, tare, whakaaeaea
• Norwegian: pese (no)
• Portuguese: ofegar (pt), arquejar (pt)
• Russian: дыша́ть с трудо́м (dyšátʹ s trudóm), задыха́ться (ru) (zadyxátʹsja)
• Spanish: jadear (es)

Interjection

gasp

1. (humorous) The sound of a gasp.

   Gasp! What will happen next?

Anagrams

• AGPs, GPAs, PASG, SPAG, gaps, spag