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sigh. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
sigh, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
sigh in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
sigh you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English sighen (“to sigh”), back-formation from sighte, past tense form of siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”).
Verb
sigh (third-person singular simple present sighs, present participle sighing, simple past and past participle sighed)
- (intransitive) To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like.
When she saw it wasn't damaged, she sighed with relief.
He sighed. It was going to be a long night.
He sighed over the lost opportunity.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed.
‘Civilized,’ he said to Mr. Campion. ‘Humanizing.’ […] ‘Cigars and summer days and women in big hats with swansdown face-powder, that's what it reminds me of.’
- (intransitive) To lament; to grieve.
- (transitive) To utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over.
1695, Matthew Prior, An ode presented to the king, on His Majesty's arrival in Holland, after the Queen's death:Ages to come, and men unborn, / Shall bless her name, and sigh her fate.
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:The lassie had grace given her to refuse, but with a woeful heart, and Heriotside rode off in black discontent, leaving poor Ailie to sigh her love. He came back the next day and the next, but aye he got the same answer.
- (intransitive) To make a sound like sighing.
- (transitive) To exhale (the breath) in sighs.
She sighed a sigh that was nearly a groan.
sigh a note and sing a note
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Never man sighed truer breath.
- (transitive) To express by sighs; to utter in or with sighs.
"I guess I have no choice," she sighed.
She sighed her frustrations.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :They […] sighed forth proverbs.
Conjugation
Synonyms
Translations
to utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over
to experience an emotion associated with sighing
to make a sound like sighing
to express by sighs; to utter in or with sighs
Translations to be checked
Etymology 2
From Middle English sighe (“sigh”), from sighen (“to sigh”) (see #Etymology 1).
Noun
sigh (plural sighs)
- A deep, prolonged audible inhale and exhale of breath; as when fatigued, frustrated, grieved, or relieved; the act of sighing.
1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 7, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:To Pollyanna the air was all the more stifling after that cool breath of the out of doors; but she did not complain. She only drew a long quivering sigh.
- (figurative) a manifestation of grief; a lament.
- (Cockney rhyming slang) A person who is bored.
Derived terms
Translations
act of sighing
- Abkhaz: аԥсыԥ алагара (apsəp alagara)
- Afrikaans: sug
- Albanian: psherėtimė f
- Armenian: հոգոց (hy) (hogocʿ), հառաչանք (hy) (haṙačʿankʿ)
- Aromanian: suschir n
- Avar: хӏухьел цӏай (ḥʳux̂el cʼaj)
- Azerbaijani: ah çəkmə, köksünü ötürmə
- Bashkir: көрһөнөү (körhönöw)
- Belarusian: узды́х m (uzdýx)
- Bulgarian: възди́шка (bg) f (vǎzdíška)
- Catalan: sospir m
- Chechen: please add this translation if you can
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 嘆息/叹息 (zh) (tànxī)
- Czech: vzdech m
- Danish: suk n
- Dutch: zucht (nl) m
- Esperanto: suspiro
- Estonian: ohe (et)
- Finnish: huokaus (fi), huokaisu, huoahdus (fi)
- French: soupir (fr) m
- Old French: sopir m, sospir m
- Georgian: სუნთქვა (suntkva)
- German: Seufzen n, Seufzer (de) m
- Greek: αναστεναγμός (el) m (anastenagmós)
- Hebrew: אֲנָחָה (he) (anakhá)
- Hungarian: sóhaj (hu), sóhajtás (hu)
- Irish: cuach f, ochlán m
- Italian: sospiro (it) m, sbuffo (it) m
- Japanese: 嘆息 (ja) (たんそく, tansoku), ため息 (tameiki), 吐息 (ja) (といき, toiki)
- Kazakh: дем (dem), дем алу (dem alu)
- Korean: 한숨 (ko) (hansum)
- Latin: suspīrium n
- Latvian: nopūta f
- Lithuanian: atodūsis m
- Macedonian: воздишка f (vozdiška)
- Malay: mengeluh
- Marathi: सुस्कारा m (suskārā)
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: шүүрс (mn) (šüürs)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: sukk n
- Ossetian: сулӕфт (sulæft)
- Persian: آه (fa) (âh)
- Polish: westchnięcie n, westchnienie (pl) n
- Portuguese: suspiro (pt) m
- Romanian: suspin (ro) n, oftat (ro)
- Romansch: suspir m, suspeir m
- Russian: вздох (ru) m (vzdox)
- Scots: sich
- Scottish Gaelic: osna f
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: у̏зда̄х m
- Roman: ȕzdāh (sh) m
- Slovak: vzdych m, povzdych m, výdych m
- Slovene: vzdih m
- Spanish: suspiro (es) m
- Swedish: suck (sv) c
- Tagalog: buntong-hininga, hay (tl), hayahay
- Tajik: ох (ox), нафас (nafas)
- Telugu: నిట్టూర్పు (te) (niṭṭūrpu)
- Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
- Tuvan: please add this translation if you can
- Ukrainian: зітха́ння n (zitxánnja), по́дих m (pódyx)
- Uzbek: nafas (uz), dam (uz)
- Venetian: sospiro m
- Vietnamese: thở dài (vi)
- Welsh: ochenaid f
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manifestation of grief; a lament
Translations to be checked
Interjection
sigh
- An expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like, often used in casual written contexts.
Sigh, I'm so bored at work today.
Translations
expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration or the like
Anagrams