From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe gasping (for something)be gasping (for something)British English spokenNEED to feel that you urgently need something such as a drink or cigarette I’m gasping for a pint! → gasp
Examples from the Corpus
be gasping (for something)• She was gasping, but she knew she could beat it if she ran.• But with an hour gone and Ulster 25-24 ahead, Saracens were gasping for air in this Heineken Cup match.• She was gasping for air, then her throat seized closed and she fainted.• Ken Harvey was gasping for air.• I will be gasping for breath 24 hours a day.• But suppose you have a cold and are gasping for breath?• But even when Brown was gasping in the ninth, Leyland stuck with him, and Brown finished the job.• The fruit in the 1985 Geyserville was gasping its last when we found it. 