as in to stare
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
tourists in London gawping at royalty
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Recent Examples of gawp
Italian nonne stirred pots full of sauce with a look of utter boredom and, here and there, Neapolitan ragazzi sat atop their motorini and gawped at the torture.
—
Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Day trips to Amalfi-style Taormina are well-advised for those who have yet to gawp at its clifftop panoramas across the Mediterranean or its film star hotels, as are jaunts to the rambling flea markets and splendidly scruffy trattorias of nearby Catania.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
And best of luck finding something else to gawp at on one of the Big Four nets.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Through the Looking Glass The optimal viewing angle for gawping at your spatial creations runs over a 58-degree viewing cone.
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2024
For others, gawping at the sheer volume and opulence of Ertegun’s stuff is its own illicit thrill, like rifling through the bedroom drawers of a hostess at a dinner party.
—The Editors, Curbed, 2 Dec. 2024
But earlier iterations of the fashion show were often peppered with inappropriate jokes at the models’ expense, with its in-studio audience being largely made up of gawping men.
—Tara John, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
Early in the game, you’re given the ability to slow down time, a power-up that doesn’t just lead to inventive platforming across rapidly moving razor-sharp knives but the opportunity to gawp further at the spectacle.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Day trips to Amalfi-style Taormina are well-advised for those who have yet to gawp at its clifftop panoramas across the Mediterranean or its film star hotels, as are jaunts to the rambling flea markets and splendidly scruffy trattorias of nearby Catania.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
And best of luck finding something else to gawp at on one of the Big Four nets.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Through the Looking Glass The optimal viewing angle for gawping at your spatial creations runs over a 58-degree viewing cone.
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2024
For others, gawping at the sheer volume and opulence of Ertegun’s stuff is its own illicit thrill, like rifling through the bedroom drawers of a hostess at a dinner party.
—The Editors, Curbed, 2 Dec. 2024
But earlier iterations of the fashion show were often peppered with inappropriate jokes at the models’ expense, with its in-studio audience being largely made up of gawping men.
—Tara John, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024
Early in the game, you’re given the ability to slow down time, a power-up that doesn’t just lead to inventive platforming across rapidly moving razor-sharp knives but the opportunity to gawp further at the spectacle.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawp
Verb
-
Two pairs of staring eyes, in intimate contact.—
John McPhee,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Since the discovery of the bacterial flagellar motor in the 1970s, biologists and creationists alike have marveled at its design like medieval architects staring with awe at the dome of the Pantheon built by their Roman ancestors.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Onlookers gawked from the balconies of nearby condo towers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
-
For patrician statesmen, grandeur is usually understated, radiating restraint rather than gawk-inspiring shows of brazen wealth.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Days are spent barefoot, raising turnips, sitting out by the lake, gazing at the cattle.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Sifting through data from sun-gazing spacecraft, Battams’s project has found more than 5,000 so far.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gawp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawp. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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