gasp vs last gasp

gasp

noun
  • A short, sudden intake of breath. 

  • A draw or drag on a cigarette (or gasper). 

verb
  • To speak in a breathless manner. 

  • To pant with eagerness or excitement; to show vehement desire. 

  • To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion; to respire with heaving of the breast; to pant. 

  • To draw in the breath suddenly, as if from a shock. 

intj
  • The sound of a gasp. 

last gasp

noun
  • The last gasp or breath a person takes before death. 

  • The point of death, or the last period of one's life. 

  • A last-gasp moment, attempt, etc. 

How often have the words gasp and last gasp occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )