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sigh

sighed; sighs; sighing

The sound that you make when you exhale loudly to show frustration, boredom, or relief is called a sigh. No matter how much you sigh during your family's annual car trip to the Grand Canyon, your dad won't drive any faster.

Something that sounds like a human sigh is also called a sigh. The breeze might sigh in the still night air, or a screen door might sigh closed. The word sigh comes from the Old English word of the same meaning, sican, which was probably imitative, echoing the sound of a sigh.

Definitions of sigh
  1. verb
    heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
    “She sighed sadly”
    synonyms: suspire
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    type of:
    breathe, respire, suspire, take a breath
    draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
  2. verb
    utter with a sigh
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    type of:
    emit, let loose, let out, utter
    express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)
  3. noun
    an utterance made by exhaling audibly
    synonyms: suspiration
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    type of:
    utterance, vocalization
    the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
  4. noun
    a sound like a person sighing
    “she heard the sigh of the wind in the trees”
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    type of:
    sound
    the sudden occurrence of an audible event
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘sigh'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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