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Glite Dictionary
to let out a gasp

to let out a gasp

1 3.2
To suddenly breathe in sharply because you are surprised, shocked, or in pain
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : soltar un suspiro
  • When she saw the surprise party, she let out a gasp of disbelief.

Examples

  • He turned, let out a gasp, and lunged around the support leg, but he wasn't fast enough to evade the big reptile.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Fumbling with his zipper, Manny let out a gasp as the frosty air touched his skin.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • And she just let out a gasp.

    Blood Dried Hands (2024)

  • The crowd lets out a gasp; nobody has ever seen anything like it.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The audience lets out a gasp.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • When he took his first taste of her, Lydia let out a gasp that was almost a cry of pain.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • He lets out a gasp.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Vlad lets out a gasp as they release his belly.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • He touched her with a fingertip, and she let out a gasp.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • She let out a gasp and tried desperately to feel the warmth of the tear on her cheek before she was taken.

    Blog text (25)

Synonyms

to gasp
vsto let out a gasp
155 1.6

To breathe in suddenly, often because of surprise, pain, or heavy exercise

is a sudden short sharp breath sent out in reaction to surprise or pain
to suck in one's breath
vsto let out a gasp
2 6.2

To take air into your lungs quickly when you feel surprised, afraid, or before hard work

is the same reaction but sent outwards not taken in

How Sudden

to let out a gasp
1 3.2
to sigh
80 1.9
to exhale
62 2.6

Surface Forms

let out a gasp infinitive
letting out a gasp present participle
lets out a gasp third person singular
let out a gasped past
let out a gasped past participle

Morphology

let + out + a + gasp

The meaning 'to suddenly emit a short, sharp breath' is directly derivable from combining 'let' (to allow/release) + 'out' (outward) with 'gasp' (a sudden intake/short breath), so the action is compositional rather than idiomatic. The pattern 'let out a [sound]' is common and cross-linguistically accessible, meaning a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Let out a gasp shows a simple image: someone suddenly lets out a short breath or small sound, a gasp, when they are surprised, shocked, or in pain. So it means 'to suddenly give a short, sharp breath or sound as a reaction'.