sigh
/saɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /saɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsī/ (ame, mw)
sigh — verb
- sighpresent simple I / you / we / they
- sighshe / she / it
- sighedpast simple
- sighing-ing form
1. to slowly release a long breath that makes a soft noise, often revealing your em
to slowly release a long breath that makes a soft noise, often revealing your emotional state such as tiredness, sadness, relief, or pleasure
Adina sighed with relief when she heard the exam results.
sigh + with + [emotion]
Daichi sighed heavily and put down the heavy suitcase.
sigh + heavily
After seeing the bill, Mr. Tanaka sighed and shook his head.
Kemi sighed as she looked at the long list of chores.
Paloma sighed and said, 'I wish the weekend would never end.'
- groan
a deeper, longer sound expressing pain or complaint rather than tiredness or relief
- exhale
purely physical act of breathing out, without emotional meaning
- breathe out
neutral and descriptive, lacking the emotional quality of sighing
- gasp
a sudden sharp intake of breath rather than a slow release
- hold one's breath
the opposite action — keeping air in rather than letting it out
文法句型
sigh + with [emotion]
sigh + [quoted speech]
sigh + heavily / deeply
用法筆記
Frequently used with a quoted statement showing the speaker's emotion: 'I suppose I have no choice,' she sighed. The emotion itself is usually indicated by context rather than by the verb alone.
常見錯誤
2. when moving air such as the wind makes a soft, gentle noise that resembles a per
when moving air such as the wind makes a soft, gentle noise that resembles a person sighing — for instance, as it passes through leaves or around buildings
The wind sighed through the pine trees all night long.
sigh + through [place]
A cold breeze sighed softly around the old castle walls.
The autumn leaves trembled as the wind sighed among them.
Wei listened as the warm evening breeze sighed gently through the bamboo grove.
文法句型
wind/breeze + sigh + through/around [place]
用法筆記
Only used of wind, breeze, or moving air in literary or descriptive writing. Not used for mechanical or artificial sounds, even if they resemble a sigh.
sigh — noun
- sighsingular
- sighsplural
1. a long, slow breath that makes a soft sound and shows an emotion such as tiredne
a long, slow breath that makes a soft sound and shows an emotion such as tiredness, sadness, relief, or pleasure
Aylin let out a deep sigh and closed the book.
let out a sigh
Felix heard a soft sigh from the back of the classroom.
Esme gave a sigh of relief when the rain finally stopped.
With a tired sigh, Christopher sat down on the nearest chair.
A long sigh escaped Renata's lips as she finished the marathon.
- exhalation
formal and neutral, without emotional meaning
- groan
a deeper, longer sound made in pain or complaint
- breath
can be neutral or emotional depending on context, but lacks the distinctive slow-audible character of a sigh
- gasp
a sudden intake of breath, the opposite movement of air
文法句型
a sigh of [emotion]
let out a sigh
with a sigh
a [adjective] sigh
用法筆記
Commonly appears in fixed phrases: 'a sigh of relief' (expressing that something unpleasant has ended), 'with a sigh' (introducing an action done while sighing), and 'heave a sigh' (to sigh deeply and noticeably).
常見錯誤
2. a long, soft sound that resembles a human sigh, produced by moving air, wind, or
a long, soft sound that resembles a human sigh, produced by moving air, wind, or something releasing air slowly
The only sound was the sigh of the wind through the tall grass.
the sigh of + [wind/breeze]
Bao could hear the gentle sigh of air escaping from the tire.
A soft sigh came from the old wooden door as it swung open.
The sigh of the breeze through the leaves reminded Anya of home.
文法句型
the sigh of [the wind / air]
a sigh of [escaping air]