| English Dictionary |
SIGH
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does sigh mean?
• SIGH (noun)
The noun SIGH has 2 senses:
1. an utterance made by exhaling audibly
2. a sound like a person sighing
Familiarity information: SIGH used as a noun is rare.
• SIGH (verb)
The verb SIGH has 2 senses:
1. heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
2. utter with a sigh
Familiarity information: SIGH used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
An utterance made by exhaling audibly
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
sigh; suspiration
Hypernyms ("sigh" is a kind of...):
utterance; vocalization (the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication)
Derivation:
sigh (heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily)
sigh (utter with a sigh)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A sound like a person sighing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
she heard the sigh of the wind in the trees
Hypernyms ("sigh" is a kind of...):
sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)
Derivation:
sigh (heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily)
sigh (utter with a sigh)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it sighs Past simple: sighed
Past participle: sighed
-ing form: sighing
Sense 1
Meaning:
Heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Synonyms:
sigh; suspire
Context example:
She sighed sadly
Hypernyms (to "sigh" is one way to...):
breathe; respire; suspire; take a breath (draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
sigh (an utterance made by exhaling audibly)
sigh (a sound like a person sighing)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Utter with a sigh
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "sigh" is one way to...):
emit; let loose; let out; utter (express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words))
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Derivation:
sigh (an utterance made by exhaling audibly)
sigh (a sound like a person sighing)
Context examples
Martin heaved a great sigh of envy.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
He stopped and shook his head, and went on with a sigh.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Fanny sighed alone at the window till scolded away by Mrs. Norris's threats of catching cold.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
The more she saw of Annie Moffat's pretty things, the more she envied her and sighed to be rich.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
"Elles changent de toilettes," said Adele; who, listening attentively, had followed every movement; and she sighed.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
“Isabella and Emma both write beautifully,” said Mr. Woodhouse; “and always did. And so does poor Mrs. Weston”—with half a sigh and half a smile at her.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
The young wife scolded him, but he said nothing and only sighed.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
“What an eye you have!” he cried, with a sigh of relief.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
She lay like a sleeping child for a few moments, and then, with a long sigh, awoke and stared in wonder to see us all around her.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
“Humphrey Van Weyden,” she concluded; then added with a sigh of relief, and unaware that she had glanced that relief at Wolf Larsen, “I am so glad.”
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"A lie's legs are short." (Bulgarian proverb)
"Who does not go with you, go with him." (Arabic proverb)
"A good dog gets a good bone." (Corsican proverb)