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To sigh with a sudden heaving of the breast, or with a kind of convulsive motion; to sigh with tears, and with a convulsive drawing in of the breath. Sobbing is the same thing [as sighing], stronger. Bacon. She sighed, she sobbed, and, furious with despair. She rent her garments, and she tore her hair. Dryden.…

A series of short, convulsive inspirations, the glottis being suddenly closed so that little or no air enters into the lungs.

The sudden issuing of a body of troops, usually small, from a besieged place to attack or harass the besiegers; a sally.

To swoop or plunge, as a bird upon its prey; to fall suddenly; to rush with speed; to make a sudden attack. For then I viewed his plunge and souse Into the foamy main. Marston. Jove's bird will souse upon the timorous hare. J. Dryden. Jr.

A sudden, violent, and temporary effort or emotion; as, a spasm of repentance. Cynic spasm (Med.) See under Cynic. -- Spasm of the chest. See Angina pectoris, under Angina.

croup (Med.), an affection of childhood characterized by a stoppage of brathing developed suddenly and without fever, and produced by spasmodic contraction of the vocal cords. It is sometimes fatal. Called also laryngismus stridulus, and childcrowing. -- Spasmodic stricture, a stricture caused by muscular spasm withou…

A sudden motion or action; a fit; a freak; a whim. [Obs. or R.] A thousand spleens bear her a thousand ways. Shak.

To assume suddenly a new and different character from the rest of the plant or from the type of the species; -- said of a bud, shoot, plant, or animal. See Sport, n., 6. Darwin.

gambler, or the like. -- Sporting plant (Bot.), a plant in which a single bud or offset suddenly assumes a new, and sometimes very different, character from that of the rest of the plant. Darwin.

To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation; as, to sprain one's ankle.

To issue with speed and violence; to move with activity; to dart; to shoot. And sudden light Sprung through the vaulted roof. Dryden.

d for its graceful form and swiftness, and for its peculiar habit of springing lighty and suddenly into the air. It has a white dorsal stripe, expanding into a broad patch of white on the rump and tail. Called also springer. [Written also springboc, and springbock.]

A noose fastened to an elastic body, and drawn close with a sudden spring, whereby it catches a bird or other animal; a gin; a snare. As a woodcock to mine own springe. Shak.

sanura. They have two elastic caudal stylets which can be bent under the abdomen and then suddenly extended like a spring, thus enabling them to leap to a considerable distance. See Collembola, and Podura.

p; to germinate; to spring forward or outward. [Obs.] To sprunt up, to draw one's self up suddenly, as in anger or defiance; to bristle up. [Local, U.S.]

To gush or issue suddenly or violently out in a stream, as liquor from a cask; to rush from a confined place in a small stream or jet; to spirt. Thus the small jet, which hasty hands unlock, Spurts in the gardener's eyes who turns the cock. Pope.

A sudden violent gust of wind often attended with rain or snow. The gray skirts of a lifting squall. Tennyson. Black squall, a squall attended with dark, heavy clouds. -- Thick squall, a black squall accompanied by rain, hail, sleet, or snow. Totten. -- White squall, a squall which comes unexpectedly, without being m…

Abounding with squalls; disturbed often with sudden and violent gusts of wind; gusty; as, squally weather.

A sudden fall of a heavy, soft body; also, a shock of soft bodies. Arbuthnot. My fall was stopped by a terrible squash. Swift.

A sudden or crushing fall. [Obs.] erbert.