as in huffs
to take in and let out a deep audible breath or to make a similar sound
Mom always used to sigh loudly whenever she found a mess on the floor—which was often a breeze sighed through the leaves
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Recent Examples of sighs
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
In the series premiere of Netflix’s Vladimir, Rachel Weisz awakens from troubled sleep to a cascade of texts, sighs deeply, and addresses the camera with pleading eyes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
The room quickly filled with laughter, sighs and long, nostalgic pauses.
—Tala Ahmadi, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Lady Gun’s footman Alfie sighs in relief when his taxing employer leaves for the evening.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Everyone oohs and aahs over this development, but Mu Hee just looks at Hiro and sighs.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Bonds signs some autographs, then takes a seat on the bench in the Giants dugout next to his mother, puts his head in his hands, and sighs.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
In the series premiere of Netflix’s Vladimir, Rachel Weisz awakens from troubled sleep to a cascade of texts, sighs deeply, and addresses the camera with pleading eyes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2026
The room quickly filled with laughter, sighs and long, nostalgic pauses.
—Tala Ahmadi, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Lady Gun’s footman Alfie sighs in relief when his taxing employer leaves for the evening.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Everyone oohs and aahs over this development, but Mu Hee just looks at Hiro and sighs.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Bonds signs some autographs, then takes a seat on the bench in the Giants dugout next to his mother, puts his head in his hands, and sighs.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sighs
Noun
-
Of course, this being DC and the WHCD, there are always whispers and smoke.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
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The amount of hearing patients gained varied, but 80% achieved at least some significant hearing restoration and 42% ended up with normal hearing, which included the ability to hear whispers, Regeneron says.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Agnes gasps for breath as her imagination plays out terrible scenarios that she’s never been given words for.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Deadline journalists sat towards the back of the room said the N-word and other slurs were audible, as were gasps when Davidson made his involuntary tics.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But murmurs of laughter broke out a few times when justices noted constitutional tensions in the case.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Both threw cold water on those murmurs, reiterating love for their respective schools.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the video, Chilli sniffs large bricks to locate the scent a trainer shared with him.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Tovar is the one officer who immediately sniffs out that there’s something weird about Gacy, and Luna incrementally nudges the character further and further into obsession.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The virus can spread when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, or through contact with surfaces or items with the virus within 2 hours.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
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Clothing that breathes, moves with you, and transitions naturally from day to evening always feels right.—
Michelle Stansbury,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Clearing right-of-way strips can result in the loss of trees and native vegetation; crackles, hisses and humming can be heard nearby especially during periods of high humidity; and farm fields and animal habitat can be affected by construction activities.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The moans announced the doubt throughout Riviera’s 18th green amphitheater, a bowl full of thousands of fans unsure if the new guy could do it.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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At the moment that B’Tselem says Hathaleen collapsed, the visuals are jostled but moans of pain can be heard.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sighs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sighs. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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