gasp for breath

gasp for breath

To gasp or pant heavily due to having difficulty breathing, as after strenuous activity or holding one's breath. Kelsey's head popped out of the water, and she started gasping for breath. The kids sprinted up the steps and were gasping for breath by the time they arrived on the fourth floor.
See also: breath, gasp
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

gasp for breath

to labor for one's breath. (Usually because of physical exertion.) She ran and ran until she was gasping for breath. The diver finally came to the surface, gasping for breath.
See also: breath, gasp
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • gasp for air
  • gulp for air
  • get (one's) breath back
  • get your breath back
  • gasp out
  • settle down to (something)
  • limber up
  • cream in (one's) pants
  • cream in one’s pants
  • pant out
References in classic literature
"All right!" answered the Saw-Horse, gruffly, and dashed away so suddenly that Tip had to gasp for breath and hold firmly to the post he had driven into the creature's neck.
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Tell your physician if you feel excessively sleepy during the daytime or your bed partner notices that you snore loudly and/or gasp for breath while you sleep.
Sleep Apnea Linked to Alzheimer's Risk
The race also saw many runners gasp for breath because of the shortage of oxygen at the base camp.
Nepalese soldier wins world's highest marathon on Everest
If you have a bed partner, he or she may be disturbed from sleep by hearing you gasp for breath after a few seconds of not breathing.
Could it be sleep apnea?
McGuire's daughter Amber cried out, "Oh, my God," as she watched her father gasp for breath.
Execution of gasping killer took 25 mins
She gasps for breath, I gasp for breath. We are tired.
Migrations
"During the process, which can take 30 minutes, panicked animals may gasp for breath, try to claw out of the chamber, and even attack each other," says Daphna Nachminovitch, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals told USA Today.
Ban on gas
That is, of course, unless you choose to make her gasp for breath once more by wrapping that towel round her neck.
DEAR LINDA...: LINDA SAYS; echo2 new you
Sometimes we come home with new skills and are stunned as God floods the emptiness, pours over us, drenching our souls, laughing joyously, chuckling, and shaking us as we gasp for breath.
Make room for silence: let's rediscover our traditions of silence, contemplation, and sitting alone in the dark
Although, because of the cerebral palsy Tulloch speaks with difficulty -- every two or three difficult syllables are punctuated with a gasp for breath -- she has testified before Congress three times.
A resident who advocates - for residents
If the thin air atop a mountain peak makes you gasp for breath, consider how hard it would have been to breathe during the Archean era, the first 2 billion years of Earth's history.
A little oxygen is better than none
Tell your physician about any signs of OSA, such as excessive daytime sleepiness or reports from your bed partner that you snore loudly or gasp for breath while you sleep.
Sleep apnea may inhibit blood pressure control
London, June 9 ( ANI ): Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has revealed that he had to gasp for breath after he and his teammates were hit with the news of Sir Alex Ferguson's resignation.
Van Persie 'gasped for breath' following Fergie's 'shocking' retirement announcement
I woke with a hacking cough each day, and struggled just to get up the stairs at home - I would gasp for breath at the top."
Your LIFE: My breathing problems cleared up when I quit
It was lucky they didn't since a brisk walk was enough to make Mantle gasp for breath.
LAST NIGHT'S VIEW