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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Brown sprinted to Parker’s bench, stared at the Mission Hills football players and brought her right index finger to her lips.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
-
As the Republican applause continued, the president stared in their direction, with a disgusted look on his face.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Yoon’s lawyers reject conviction An expressionless Yoon gazed straight ahead as the judge delivered the sentence in the same courtroom where former military rulers and presidents have been convicted of treason, corruption and other crimes over the decades.—
Kim Tong-Hyung,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Dreher led me to a spot at the center of the nave and gazed down.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaped. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
