ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sigh

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈsaɪ// UK //sˈaɪ// sigh Slang

n. a long, deep breath that you let out slowly. You usually do this when you are tired, sad, or feel relieved.

n. an audible, prolonged expiration of breath, often expressing fatigue, frustration, or relief.


SIMPLE

She let out a long sigh of relief after the exam.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher gave a heavy sigh when he saw that half the class had forgotten their homework again.

COMPLEX

A collective sigh rippled through the audience as the protagonist finally reunited with his family after years of separation.

Synonyms
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”).

Etymology 2

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

Usage

Often used in the phrase 'a sigh of relief' or 'a sigh of frustration'.

Idioms2 entries

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