gaping

1 of 2

adjective

gap·​ing ˈgā-piŋ 

: wide open

a gaping hole

gaping

2 of 2

present participle of gape entry 1

Examples of gaping in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That didn’t work at the comically oversized Olympic Stadium, where the beam landed in a gaping, cavernous empty space. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

This is the most gaping vacancy of all—Trump gestures toward two American incitements, one historic, one extremely recent. — Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026

Waldo’s digital shopping cart — and McCurdy’s brusque descriptions of her late-night binges — highlight the gaping, cavernous maw of her wants. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2026

Lawyers at Walsh Gallegos coordinated two releases of emails and other documents on behalf of the school board, but CNN reported how gaping holes remained, surprising and angering board members. — Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of gape entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1588, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gaping

• aping
• draping
• raping
• scraping
• shaping
• taping
• escaping
• landscaping
• reshaping
• videotaping