as in stared
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
she suddenly realized she had been gaping at the good-looking waiter instead of giving him her order
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Recent Examples of gaped
Inside the old asylum, plaster peeled from mottled walls and holes gaped in the ceiling.
—
Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Some stuffing gaped out of the rips on the back.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Some stuffing gaped out of the rips on the back.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaped
Verb
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The blank walls stared at her, vacant pinholes made by previous tenants peering down like dark, shrunken pupils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The caribou stopped eating and curiously stared at him.—
Frank Glaser,
Outdoor Life,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Still, other Coppin State runners gawked at his broad chest, bulging biceps and thick quads.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
-
They’re presented as endearing surprises of nature and life, celebrated rather than gawked at.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In the first image, Cole gazed lovingly at the Little Women star, who wrapped her arm around his shoulder.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
31 Mar. 2026
-
As the train pulled into the precincts of Guilin, Martha and Joost gazed out the window at a series of pointy green hills poking up out of bright-orange soil.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaped. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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