gape

1 of 2

verb

ˈgāp 

sometimes

ˈgap 

gaped; gaping

intransitive verb

1

a

: to open the mouth wide

b

: to open or part widely

holes gaped in the pavement

2

: to gaze stupidly or in open-mouthed surprise or wonder

gaped at the squabbling monkeys

3

: yawn

The dull lecture made the students gape.

gapingly

ˈgā-piŋ-lē 

ˈga-piŋ-

adverb

gape

2 of 2

noun

plural gapes

1

: an act or instance of opening the mouth wide or of keeping the mouth open wide

One piranha, she discovered, went from wide-open gape to shut jaws in less than five milliseconds, far faster than the wink of an eye.

—Per Ola d'Aulaire and Emily d'Aulaire

It seemed his mouth was always sort of hanging open in a stupid gape …

—Jill McCorkle

At first glance, the case seemed routine, and the suspects elicited no gapes [=open-mouthed looks] of surprise …

—Michael Powell and Nicholas Confessore

She was pushing an unwieldy shopping cart in the street, trying to keep out of the way of oncoming cars, ignoring the gapes of passersby.

—Joan Levine

—often used in combination

gape-mouthed

He looked at his men, all of them staring gape-jawed at him …

—David Abrams

sometimes, specifically : yawn entry 2 sense 2

… another hour of pleasure or of penance was to be sat out, another hour of music was to give delight or the gapes [=a fit of yawning] …

—Jane Austen

2

a

: the expanse of an open mouth : the opening formed by the open mouth of an animal (such as a bird, fish, or snake)

An eel, like most fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, is gape limited, meaning it can eat only what it can swallow …

—Gene S. Helfman

b

: the line along which the mandibles (see mandible sense 1c) of a bird close

3

a

: something resembling an open mouth (such as an unfilled space or extent)

A hole, in whitewater parlance, is a recirculating maw of foam. … Its gape shows like a frothy smirk or, depending on viewpoint, a frown.

—David Quammen

b

: the width of an opening

… gyratory crushers having a gape suitable for the coarsest crushing …

—A. M. Gaudin

4

gapes plural in form but singular in construction

: a disease of birds and especially young birds in which gapeworms invade and irritate the trachea (see trachea sense 1)

a case of gapes

—often used with the

… an outbreak of the gapes, a disease of fowls caused by worms in the windpipe.

—John Cheever

Synonyms

Verb

• blink
• gawk
• gawp [chiefly British]
• gaze
• goggle
• peer
• rubberneck
• stare

Noun

• aspect [archaic]
• eye
• gaze
• regard
• scrutiny
• stare

Examples of gape in a Sentence

Verb

she suddenly realized she had been gaping at the good-looking waiter instead of giving him her order

Noun

I told him to stop staring, that his rather stupid gape was annoying.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

One of the design world’s most influential podcasters has launched a magazine that entertains, informs, and fills a gaping hole in the luxury lifestyle category. —Rima Suqi, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

But other eligible households never filed, creating a gaping hole in the county’s address book. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025

Noun

Many bird species young have this gape so the parents can more easily direct food into their mouths. —Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025

For instance, that toothy gape up front is corralled by a goatee of nearly 200 digital light whiskers. —New Atlas, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English gapen, borrowed from Old Norse gapa, going back to Germanic *gapōn- (whence Middle Dutch gapen "to gaze stupidly," Middle High German gaffen), perhaps of phonesthemic origin

Noun

derivative of gape entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gape

• ape
• cape
• crape
• crepe
• drape
• grape
• pape
• rape
• scape
• scrape
• shape
• snape

Kids Definition

gape

1 of 2 verb

ˈgāp 

gaped; gaping

1

a

: to open the mouth wide

b

: to open or part widely

2

: to stare with mouth open in surprise or wonder

3

: yawn entry 1 sense 2

gaper noun

gapingly

ˈgā-piŋ-lē 

adverb

gape

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of gaping

2

: an unfilled space