Meaning & use
panting
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“panting” is a form of “pant”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountable
Quick, shallow breathing through the mouth, usually after effort or in hot weather.
Grammar: No article: the panting got louder.
Patterns
- the sound of panting
- heavy panting
We could hear the dog's panting from across the garden.
His heavy panting showed how hard he had run.
Panting is how many animals cool down.
adjectivebefore a noun
Breathing fast and noisily, especially because of exercise, heat or excitement.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a panting runner.
Patterns
- a panting dog
- panting breath
A panting runner crossed the finish line and collapsed on the grass.
The panting puppy drank from the bowl in one go.
She heard panting breath behind her on the stairs.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Present participle of pant: breathing quickly with the mouth open, or saying something while out of breath.
Grammar: Without an object: he was panting; with speech: she was panting the words out.
Patterns
- pant for breath
- pant with something
He stood panting at the top of the hill.
The little girl ran in, panting that the bus was leaving.
Panting for breath, the player waited for the whistle.
Word forms
| base form | pant |
|---|---|
| third person singular | pants |
| past tense | panted |
Common combinations
- panting for breath
- The hikers arrived panting for breath.
- heavy panting
- Heavy panting came from the dog after the walk.
- panting dog
- A panting dog should be given shade and water.
- panting heavily
- He sat on the bench, panting heavily.
- stand panting
- We stood panting at the foot of the stairs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gasping
- Gasping suggests sharp, desperate breaths, often from shock or lack of air, while panting is quick, regular breathing.
- puffing
- Puffing is a more informal word for breathing hard with effort, often while moving.
- wheezing
- Wheezing makes a whistling sound and often points to a health problem, unlike ordinary panting.
- huffing
- Huffing, often huffing and puffing, can also show annoyance or reluctance in addition to heavy breathing.
Word family
Commonly confused: panting or pants? panting or painting?
panting vs pants
Pants are trousers in American English, or underwear in British English. Pants as a verb form means breathes quickly, but it is spelled the same, so context matters.
panting vs painting
Painting is spelled and sounds similar, but it is about colors on a surface, not breathing.
Practice
After the sprint, the dog lay in the shade, ___ loudly.
Choose one answer.
Panting means breathing quickly with the mouth open, which is what a hot dog does. The other options are real words but do not fit the context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “panting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.