pant

1.verbintransitiveB2

Definition

to take fast, noisy breaths through an open mouth — typically after hard running, climbing, or heavy work, or when feeling very hot.

Example

Marcus was panting heavily after sprinting up six flights of stairs.

pant + adverb of manner (heavily, hard, loudly)

The old dog lay in the shade, panting with its pink tongue out.

pant + with + body-part detail

Common collocations

pant heavily
pant hard
pant for breath
pant like a dog

Synonyms

gasp
stresses a sudden, sharp intake of air, often from shock as well as effort
puff
informal; suggests blowing out air loudly, often from being unfit
wheeze
implies a whistling, troubled sound, usually from illness rather than exercise

Antonyms

breathe steadily
describes calm, even breathing

Grammar Patterns

pant + (out) + speech

pant + adverb of manner

Usage Note

Frequently appears with adverbs that show intensity (heavily, hard, loudly) or with the phrase 'panting for breath'. When used as a reporting verb, it pictures the speaker struggling to get words out between breaths.

Common Mistakes

After running, I was panted.

After running, I was panting.

pant describes an ongoing action, so use the -ing form, not a past participle, for the state of breathing hard.

The dog panted the water.

The dog drank the water, panting between sips.

pant is intransitive; you cannot pant an object.

Phrasal verbs

pant after

phrasal verb

To want something very much, often in a way that shows strong desire.

The young actor panted after the lead role in the movie.

Why does he pant after fame and fortune so desperately?

pant for

phrasal verb

To feel a strong need or desire for something, especially air or water.

After the long run, the athlete panted for water.

The hikers panted for fresh air in the stuffy cave.

Idioms

puff and pant

idiom

To breathe very fast and noisily, usually after hard exercise.

After running up the stairs, Mia was puffing and panting.

The old dog was puffing and panting after chasing the ball.

1.nounC1

Definition

a single short, hard breath that someone takes when they are out of breath or struggling to get enough air.

Example

Sarah finished the climb with a long pant and sat on a flat rock.

a + adjective + pant (countable noun)

Between pants, the runner managed to thank the medic on the track.

between + pants (plural countable)

Common collocations

short pant
shallow pant
ragged pant
between pants

Synonyms

gasp
a sharp, often surprised intake of breath
puff
a single short outward breath; less effortful
wheeze
noisy, whistling breath linked to illness

Grammar Patterns

a/the + pant

pant + of + noun

Usage Note

Almost always countable, often plural. Distinguish from sense 2 (the chest movement that goes with the breath) and sense 3 (a mechanical puffing sound). Frequently modified by adjectives like 'short', 'shallow', 'painful', or 'ragged'.

Common Mistakes

She gave a pant of relief.

She gave a sigh of relief.

a pant is a hard, oxygen-hungry breath, not an emotional release.

2.nounC2

Definition

the rise and fall of someone's chest that you can see while they are breathing hard.

Example

The doctor watched the rapid pant of the patient's chest with concern.

the pant of + body-part

You could see the steady pant of the horse's flanks after the race.

visible + pant of + flanks/chest/sides

Common collocations

the pant of the chest
rapid pant
watch the pant

Synonyms

heave
stronger, slower up-and-down movement, often from sobbing or exhaustion
rise and fall
neutral, descriptive phrase for any breathing motion

Grammar Patterns

the + pant + of + body-part

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the audible breath itself, while this sense is the visible body movement that goes with it. Subject is usually a body part (chest, flanks, ribs, shoulders) introduced by 'of'. Mostly literary or medical.

Common Mistakes

I heard the pant of his chest.

I saw the pant of his chest.

this sense is about what the eye sees, not what the ear hears.

3.nounC2

Definition

a short, throbbing puff of sound or air made by an engine, pipe, or other machine, similar to the noise of someone breathing hard.

Example

The old steam train left the station with a loud pant of white smoke.

pant of + steam/smoke (machine sound)

Each pant from the boiler shook the workshop floor a little.

pant + from + machine source

Common collocations

pant of steam
pant of smoke
loud pant
regular pant

Synonyms

puff
the most common everyday word for short bursts of steam or smoke
throb
stresses a regular, beating rhythm rather than the airy quality
chuff
specific to steam-engine noise; informal and onomatopoeic

Grammar Patterns

pant + of + steam/smoke

pant + from + machine

Usage Note

Subject is always a machine or mechanical part (engine, boiler, pipe, train). Object of 'of' is typically steam, smoke, or air. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about a person or animal's breath, and sense 2, which is about visible chest movement.

Common Mistakes

I felt a pant from her on the bus.

I felt a puff of breath from her on the bus.

this sense applies to mechanical, not human, sounds.

Word family

panting
adjectiveB2
pantingly
adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe noisy, struggling breathing, but they pick out different causes and sounds. Pant is the everyday choice for fast, open-mouthed breaths after running, climbing, or working hard, and is also the natural verb for a hot dog cooling itself down. Gasp focuses on a single sharp intake of air and often signals shock, fear, or pain as much as physical effort — you might gasp when you see something terrible, while you would pant after a long run. Puff is more informal and slightly humorous, suggesting that someone is unfit or out of shape rather than seriously struggling. Wheeze describes a whistling, troubled sound that comes from blocked or sick lungs, so it fits asthma or a heavy cold rather than healthy exercise. Compare: 'She panted up the hill,' 'She gasped at the news,' 'He puffed along behind the kids,' 'The patient wheezed in his sleep.'

pant ↗gasp ↗puffwheeze

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

pant for breath
pant like a dog
panting and sweating

Prepositions

for breath
with effort
from exhaustion

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Pant entered Middle English in the late 1300s, probably borrowed from Old French 'pantaisier', meaning to gasp or be out of breath. That French verb most likely traces back to a popular Latin form rooted in Greek 'phantasioun', meaning to cause an image or vision — the link being the heavy, frightened breathing of someone who has had a nightmare. Over time the word lost its dream-related sense and settled into its modern meaning of breathing hard from effort or heat. The noun uses (a single hard breath, the heaving of the chest, the puff of an engine) all developed later as natural extensions of the verb.

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pant

pant — verb

1. to take fast, noisy breaths through an open mouth — typically after hard running

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

pant after

pant for

puff and pant

pant — noun

1. a single short, hard breath that someone takes when they are out of breath or st

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. the rise and fall of someone's chest that you can see while they are breathing h

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. a short, throbbing puff of sound or air made by an engine, pipe, or other machin

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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