sigh

sigh

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: sī, IPA^(key): /saɪ/
• Rhymes: -aɪ

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: sie, sai, psi, xi, scye, Si, Sy, Cy

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)

1. (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 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.’

2. (intransitive) To lament; to grieve.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Mark 8:12:

     He sighed deeply in his spirit.

3. (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.

4. (intransitive) To make a sound like sighing.
   • 1797–1798 (date written)​, [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere”, in Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, London: […] J[ohn] & A[rthur] Arch, […], published 1798, OCLC 1071922407:

     And the coming wind did roar more loud, / And the sails did sigh like sedge.

   • 1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “The Death of the Old Year”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 3944791:

     The winter winds are wearily sighing.

5. (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[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene v]:

     Never man sighed truer breath.

6. (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[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i]:

     They […] sighed forth proverbs.

   • 1763, John Hoole (translator), Jerusalem Delivered (by Torquato Tasso

     The gentle swain […] sighs back her grief.

Conjugation

Conjugation of sigh

infinitive	(to) sigh
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	sigh	sighed
2nd-person singular	sigh, sighest†	sighed, sighedst†
3rd-person singular	sighs, sigheth†	sighed
plural	sigh
subjunctive	sigh	sighed
imperative	sigh	—
participles	sighing	sighed

^†Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

• (all): sithe (obsolete)

Translations

to inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it

Abkhaz: please add this translation if you can Afrikaans: sug Albanian: psherėtij Arabic: تَنَهَّدَ‎ (tanahhada) Armenian: հառաչել (hy) (haṙačʿel), հոգոց հանել (hogocʿ hanel) Aromanian: suschir Avar: please add this translation if you can Azerbaijani: nəfəs almaq (az), ah çəkmək, köks ötürmək Belarusian: уздыха́ць impf (uzdyxácʹ), уздыхну́ць pf (uzdyxnúcʹ) Bulgarian: възди́шам (bg) impf (vǎzdíšam), въздъ́хвам (bg) impf (vǎzdǎ́hvam), въздъ́хна pf (vǎzdǎ́hna) Burmese: ဟင်းချ့ (hang:hkya.) Catalan: sospirar (ca) Chechen: please add this translation if you can Chinese: Mandarin: 嘆氣／叹气 (zh) (tànqì), 嘆息／叹息 (zh) (tànxī, tànxí) Czech: vzdychat impf, vzdychnout pf Danish: sukke Dutch: zuchten (nl) Esperanto: suspiri Estonian: ohkama Finnish: huokaista, huoata (fi) French: soupirer (fr) Old French: souspirer Friulian: suspirâ, sustâ Georgian: ამოსუნთქვა (amosuntkva) German: seufzen (de) Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐍃𐍅𐍉𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gaswōgjan) Greek: αναστενάζω (el) (anastenázo) Ancient Greek: ἄζω (ázō), στενάζω (stenázō) Hindi: आह भरना (āh bharnā) Hungarian: sóhajt (hu) Italian: sospirare (it) Japanese: 嘆く (ja) (なげく, nageku), 嘆息する (ja) (たんそくする, tansoku suru), ため息をつく (ためいきをつく, tameiki o tsuku) Kazakh: күрсіну (kürsınu) Korean: 한숨짓다 (ko) (hansumjitda), 한숨을 쉬다 (hansum-eul swida) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئاخ ھەڵکێشان‎ (ax hellkêşan) Kyrgyz: күрсүнүү (kürsünüü) Lao: ຖອນໃຈ (thǭn chai) Latin: suspiro Latvian: nopūsties Lithuanian: atsidusti Macedonian: воздивнува impf (vozdivnuva), воздивне pf (vozdivne) Manchu: ᠰᡝᠵᡳᠯᡝᠮᠪᡳ (sejilembi) Maori: pūhoto, kutare, harapuka Mongolian: Cyrillic: шүүрс алдах (šüürs aldax) Norman: soupither Norwegian: Bokmål: sukke Old English: sīcan Ossetian: улӕфын (ulæfyn) Persian: آه کشیدن‎ (fa) (âh kašidan) Polish: wzdychać (pl) impf, westchnąć (pl) pf Portuguese: suspirar (pt) Romanian: suspina (ro) Romansch: suspirar, suspirer, suspürar Russian: вздыха́ть (ru) impf (vzdyxátʹ), вздохну́ть (ru) pf (vzdoxnútʹ) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: у̀здисати impf, узда̀хнути pf Roman: ùzdisati (sh) impf, uzdàhnuti (sh) pf Slovak: vzdychať impf, vzdychnúť pf Slovene: vzdihovati (sl) impf, vzdihniti pf Spanish: suspirar (es) Swedish: sucka (sv) Tajik: оҳ кашидан (oh kašidan), нафас кашидан (nafas kašidan) Telugu: నిట్టూర్చు (te) (niṭṭūrcu) Thai: ถอนใจ (th) (tɔ̌ɔn-jai) Tibetan: please add this translation if you can Turkish: of çekmek (tr), ah etmek (tr) Tuvan: please add this translation if you can Ukrainian: зітха́ти impf (zitxáty), зітхну́ти pf (zitxnúty), здиха́ти impf (zdyxáty), здихну́ти pf (zdyxnúty) Urdu: آہ بھرنا‎ (ur) (āh bharnā) Uzbek: nafas olmoq, xoʻrsinmoq (uz) Venetian: sospirar Vietnamese: thở dài (vi) Welsh: ochneidio Yiddish: זיפֿצן‎ (ziftsn)

to lament; to grieve

Czech: vzdychat impf, vzdychnout pf Finnish: huoata (fi) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئاخ ھەڵکێشان‎ (ax hellkêşan) Maori: harapuka Polish: lamentować (pl) impf Russian: вздыха́ть (ru) impf (vzdyxátʹ), вздохну́ть (ru) pf (vzdoxnútʹ)

to utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over

Bulgarian: възди́шам (bg) impf (vǎzdíšam), въздъ́хвам (bg) impf (vǎzdǎ́hvam), въздъ́хна pf (vǎzdǎ́hna) Finnish: huokailla (fi) Polish: wzdychać (pl) impf, westchnąć (pl) pf

to experience an emotion associated with sighing

Finnish: huoata (fi), huokaista

to make a sound like sighing

Czech: vzdychat impf, vzdychnout pf Finnish: huoata (fi), huokaista Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئاخ ھەڵکێشان‎ (ax hellkêşan) Maori: nguru Norwegian: sukke Portuguese: suspirar (pt) Russian: вздыха́ть (ru) impf (vzdyxátʹ), вздохну́ть (ru) pf (vzdoxnútʹ) Turkish: ahlamak (tr)

to exhale in sighs

Finnish: huokailla (fi) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئاخ ھەڵکێشان‎ (ax hellkêşan) Norwegian: sukke Portuguese: suspirar (pt) Russian: вздыха́ть (ru) impf (vzdyxátʹ), вздохну́ть (ru) pf (vzdoxnútʹ) Turkish: iç çekmek (tr)

to express by sighs; to utter in or with sighs

Finnish: huokailla (fi) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئاخ ھەڵکێشان‎ (ax hellkêşan) Norwegian: sukke Russian: вздыха́ть (ru) impf (vzdyxátʹ), вздохну́ть (ru) pf (vzdoxnútʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Italian: (please verify) sospirare (it) Romanian: (please verify) suspina (ro), (please verify) ofta (ro) Spanish: (please verify) suspirar (es) Swedish: (please verify) sucka (sv)

Etymology 2

From Middle English sighe (“sigh”), from sighen (“to sigh”) (see #Etymology 1).

Noun

sigh (plural sighs)

1. 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 33897078:

     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.

2. (figurative) a manifestation of grief; a lament.
3. (Cockney rhyming slang) A person who is bored.

Derived terms

• yawn-sigh

Translations

act of sighing

Abkhaz: please add this translation if you can Afrikaans: sug Albanian: psherėtimė f Armenian: հոգոց (hy) (hogocʿ), հառաչանք (hy) (haṙačʿankʿ) Aromanian: suschir n Avar: please add this translation if you can 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 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 (といき, toiki) Kazakh: дем (kk) (dem), дем алу (dem alu) Korean: 한숨 (ko) (hansum) Latin: suspīrium n Latvian: nopūta f Lithuanian: atodūsis m Macedonian: воздишка f (vozdiška) Malay: mengeluh 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 (tg) (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

manifestation of grief; a lament

Dutch: verzuchting (nl) f, klacht (nl) m Finnish: huokaus (fi) Portuguese: suspiro (pt) m Romanian: geamăt (ro) n Russian: вздох (ru) m (vzdox) Spanish: suspiro (es) m

bored person

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Italian: (please verify) sospiro (it) m Romanian: (please verify) oftat (ro) n Spanish: (please verify) suspiro (es) m Swedish: (please verify) suck (sv) c Telugu: (please verify) నిట్టూర్చు (te) (niṭṭūrcu)

Interjection

sigh

1. 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

Chinese: Mandarin: 唉 (zh) (āi) Dutch: zucht (nl) Finnish: ohhoijaa, huoh (fi) Japanese: やれやれ (yareyare) Polish: ech (pl) Russian: ох (ru) (ox), эх (ru) (ex), ах (ru) (ax) Swedish: suck (sv) Tagalog: hay (tl) Ukrainian: ох (ox)

Anagrams

• Gish, gish, shig