Meaning of "gasp" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD GASP

From Old Norse geispa to yawn; related to Swedish dialect gispa, Danish gispe.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF GASP

gasp  [ɡɑːsp]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF GASP

Gasp is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb gasp in English.

WHAT DOES GASP MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Paralanguage

Paralanguage is a component of meta-communication that may modify or nuance meaning, or convey emotion, such as prosody, pitch, volume, intonation etc. It is sometimes defined as relating to nonphonemic properties only. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously or unconsciously. The study of paralanguage is known as paralinguistics, and was invented by George L. Trager in the 1950s, while he was working at the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State. His colleagues at the time included Henry Lee Smith, Charles F. Hockett, Edward T. Hall developing proxemics, and Ray Birdwhistell developing kinesics. Trager published his conclusions in 1958, 1960 and 1961. His work has served as a basis for all later research, especially those investigating the relationship between paralanguage and culture. A good example is the work of John J. Gumperz on language and social identity, which specifically describes paralinguistic differences between participants in intercultural interactions.

Definition of gasp in the English dictionary

The first definition of gasp in the dictionary is to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc. Other definition of gasp is to crave. Gasp is also often foll by out to utter or emit breathlessly.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO GASP

PRESENT

Present

I gasp

you gasp

he/she/it gasps

we gasp

you gasp

they gasp

Present continuous

I am gasping

you are gasping

he/she/it is gasping

we are gasping

you are gasping

they are gasping

Present perfect

I have gasped

you have gasped

he/she/it has gasped

we have gasped

you have gasped

they have gasped

Present perfect continuous

I have been gasping

you have been gasping

he/she/it has been gasping

we have been gasping

you have been gasping

they have been gasping

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I gasped

you gasped

he/she/it gasped

we gasped

you gasped

they gasped

Past continuous

I was gasping

you were gasping

he/she/it was gasping

we were gasping

you were gasping

they were gasping

Past perfect

I had gasped

you had gasped

he/she/it had gasped

we had gasped

you had gasped

they had gasped

Past perfect continuous

I had been gasping

you had been gasping

he/she/it had been gasping

we had been gasping

you had been gasping

they had been gasping

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will gasp

you will gasp

he/she/it will gasp

we will gasp

you will gasp

they will gasp

Future continuous

I will be gasping

you will be gasping

he/she/it will be gasping

we will be gasping

you will be gasping

they will be gasping

Future perfect

I will have gasped

you will have gasped

he/she/it will have gasped

we will have gasped

you will have gasped

they will have gasped

Future perfect continuous

I will have been gasping

you will have been gasping

he/she/it will have been gasping

we will have been gasping

you will have been gasping

they will have been gasping

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would gasp

you would gasp

he/she/it would gasp

we would gasp

you would gasp

they would gasp

Conditional continuous

I would be gasping

you would be gasping

he/she/it would be gasping

we would be gasping

you would be gasping

they would be gasping

Conditional perfect

I would have gasp

you would have gasp

he/she/it would have gasp

we would have gasp

you would have gasp

they would have gasp

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been gasping

you would have been gasping

he/she/it would have been gasping

we would have been gasping

you would have been gasping

they would have been gasping

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you gasp
we let´s gasp
you gasp

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to gasp

Past participle

gasped

Present Participle

gasping

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «GASP»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «gasp» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of gasp

blow · choke · gulp · pant · puff

TRANSLATION OF GASP

Find out the translation of gasp to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of gasp from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «gasp» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: > 倒抽一口气
• Translator English - Spanish: grito sofocado
• English: gasp
• Translator English - Hindi: हांफी
• Translator English - Arabic: اللحظات
• Translator English - Russian: вздох
• Translator English - Portuguese: arfada
• Translator English - Bengali: খাবি
• Translator English - French: sursaut
• Translator English - Malay: Gasp
• Translator English - German: tiefer Atemzug
• Translator English - Japanese: あえぎ
• Translator English - Korean: 헉 하는 소리
• Translator English - Javanese: Gasp
• Translator English - Vietnamese: nhảy giật
• Translator English - Tamil: மூச்சுத்திணறல்
• Translator English - Marathi: धापा टाकणे
• Translator English - Turkish: nefesi kesilmek
• Translator English - Italian: respiro improvviso
• Translator English - Polish: westchnienie
• Translator English - Ukrainian: зітхання
• Translator English - Romanian: suflare
• Translator English - Greek: λαχανιάζουν
• Translator English - Afrikaans: asem
• Translator English - Swedish: flämtning
• Translator English - Norwegian: gispe

6 QUOTES WITH «GASP»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word gasp.

1

Sarah Dessen

I love writing about the summer between high school and college. It's the last gasp of really being a teen.

2

Mamie Gummer

I know girlfriends of mine who, when they were approaching pregnancy and starting a family, consistently went through a period right beforehand that was a last gasp kind of thing where they just wreak havoc. They fall apart, in a profound way, because there's some awareness that that's the last time they can do that for awhile.

3

Edward M. Lerner

History buffs expect historical background in historical fiction. Mystery readers expect forensics and police procedure in crime fiction. Westerns - gasp - describe the West. Techno-thriller readers expect to learn something about technology from their fiction.

4

Ruth Negga

I didn't become an actor to make money. And I didn't become an actor to be famous - though people always gasp if you say that, as if it's unfathomable that an actor doesn't want to be a star.

5

Stephen Rodrick

Baseball loyalists cite the game's legendary numbers - 300 wins, 500 homers, 3,000 hits - as evidence of the sport's elegance, beauty, and gravitas. What no one mentions is how wretched and painful it is to actually watch a former star gasp and sputter his way toward a legendary number.

6

George Will

Modern parents want to nurture so skillfully that Mother Nature will gasp in admiration at the marvels their parenting produces from the soft clay of children.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «GASP»

Discover the use of gasp in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to gasp and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Gulp and Gasp

This is one of twelve titles for 2002, from the Spirals range for reluctant readers.

John Townsend, 2002

Gasp! Zapt! Splat!

Gasp! Clever and hilarious, this story is about a naughty, greedy little fish who nearly gets what he deserves.

Terry Denton, 2007

Gasp!

You need to know that there is a devil, who doesn't want you reading this book. He's that little voice in your head, telling you to put this book down.

Tony Nolan, 2011

Gasp

Something imminent. As the danger escalates more than ever before in the conclusion to the Visions series, Jules wonders if she’ll finally find out why and how this is happening—before it’s too late to prevent disaster.

Lisa McMann, 2014

Gasp!

A fish suddenly finds himself out of water and begins a frantic search for survival.

Terry Denton, 1996

Gasp!: a novel of revenge

Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Martin Muntor, a chain-smoking editor for a news wire service, comes up with an intricate and diabolical scheme to seek revenge on the American tobacco industry.

Frank Freudberg, 1996

The last gasp

Marine biologist Gavin Chase deciphers the mysterious message of a seemingly crazed Russian scientist, and, teamed with biologist Cheryl Detrick, tries desperately to foil the superpowers' plans for environmental war, plans that include ...

Trevor Hoyle, 1985

Gasp!

GASP! A Sioux Detective Reunites Her Family In The Course Of Investigating A High-Tech Insurance Fraud. (Copyright -SEPTEMBER MORNING -TXU 520-359)

Bruce A. Burton, 2006

Gasp!: The Swift and Terrible Beauty of Air

A Pulitzer Prize nominee blends the history and myths of air, together with its environmental and physiological effects, into a rich and sometimes troubling account of what gives us our life force.

Joe Sherman, 2007

The Last Gasp: The Rise and Fall of the American Gas Chamber

Traces the history of the gas chamber, beginning with its first construction in Nevada in 1924 as a humane method of execution, and describes the political, corporate, and military uses for the technology through the twentieth century.

Scott Christianson, 2010

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «GASP»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term gasp is used in the context of the following news items.

Jason Johnson's last-gasp goal gives Fire win over Sounders | CSN …

After gaining much-needed confidence from a visit to the Lone Star State last Friday, the Fire beat their first Western Conference opponent of ... «Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Jul 15»

Matty Smith's last-gasp penalty for Wigan brings vital win against …

The Wigan half-back Matty Smith will swing his right foot many more times this season, but it's highly doubtful there will be a more important ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»

Actress Defends Christian Cake Bakers on 'The View,' Drawing a …

Actress Defends Christian Cake Bakers on 'The View,' Drawing a Gasp from the Co-host. 0. An error occurred. Unable to execute Javascript. «Breitbart News, Jul 15»

Last-gasp heartbreak for Bala Town in Europa League clash

There was last-gasp heartbreak for Bala at Belle Vue when Differdange striker Omar Er Rafik netted the goal in the final seconds of added time ... «Daily Post North Wales, Jul 15»

Mega in last-gasp attempt to keep Mega Teva Market

Mega in last-gasp attempt to keep Mega Teva Market. In surprise move, supermarket operator seeks stay of proceedings against creditors for its ... «Haaretz, Jul 15»

Viroqua stays a gasp above .500

Viroqua pitcher Noah Carlson got the win, 3-2, in an eight-inning marathon game against Westby at Coon Valley, last Thursday. «La Crosse Tribune, Jul 15»

Agency figures make last-gasp pleas to Osborne

Estate and letting agents and other figures in the property industry have been making their last-minute calls on Chancellor George Osborne to ... «Estate Agent Today, Jul 15»

Boro flashback: David Wheater scores last gasp equaliser at York

David Wheater saved Boro's blushes as he barged through to score a last gasp equaliser at Kit Kat Crescent. “It would have been a little bit ... «Gazette Live, Jul 15»

Zombies set for last gasp in Leeds

Urban zombie chase game, 2.8 Hours Later, is returning to Leeds for one last grisly hurrah with their latest instalment Ruin. The storyline starts ... «Yorkshire Evening Post, Jul 15»

Tsipras secures domestic backing for last-gasp effort at deal | News …

Greece's new Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras travel to Brussels on Tuesday with the aim of keeping the ... «Kathimerini, Jul 15»