Words / B2

GAHSP/ɡɑːsp/

To gasp is to take a sudden sharp breath, from shock, pain, or lack of air; as a noun, that breath: gasp for air; a gasp of disbelief. Pant is repeated breathing; gulp is swallowing. A gasp of disbelief featured in the witness transcript. Mix-up: grasp (already in the dictionary); gap. Do not write gasp for a calm full sentence with no shock in the source.

Meaning

To take a sudden sharp breath, from shock, pain, or lack of air; as a noun, that breath.

Examples

• “A gasp of disbelief featured in the witness transcript, not a cartoon caption.”
• “Patients gasped for air in the case notes, which is the breathlessness sense.”

Good to know

gasp for air; a gasp of; gasp + adverb. Close: pant / gulp. Trap: grasp. Literature, news, and health. A sudden sharp breath, not a leisurely sigh.

Near in meaning

pant, gulp

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