as in staring
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wide
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gaping
David Pogue, CBS News, 30 June 2024
While fentanyl can easily cause a deadly overdose, the addition of xylazine further slows breathing and can result in painful, gaping and disfiguring wounds on the user's body.
—Erika Edwards, NBC News, 11 July 2023
Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Such lightness of materials was well suited to Dubai, where Zegna presented the collection in June, leaving a gaping hole in the Milan Fashion Week schedule (the brand typically closes out the event).
—Naomi Rougeau, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaping
Verb
And that is just a gaping fundamental hole with the entire structure.
—David Pogue, CBS News, 30 June 2024
While fentanyl can easily cause a deadly overdose, the addition of xylazine further slows breathing and can result in painful, gaping and disfiguring wounds on the user's body.
—Erika Edwards, NBC News, 11 July 2023
Adjective
One of the biggest reasons for that is the lack of an overriding commission governing the sport, leaving no structure and gaping holes in regulation and fighter safety.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Such lightness of materials was well suited to Dubai, where Zegna presented the collection in June, leaving a gaping hole in the Milan Fashion Week schedule (the brand typically closes out the event).
—Naomi Rougeau, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gaping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaping
Verb
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At the end of a disastrous season, the New York Mets are staring at a lot of obstacles.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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The teacher noticed Aburto Guzman take his laptop out of his red backpack, place it on the table and begin staring outside the window, according to an interview with police.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The law stripped teachers and most public workers of collective bargaining rights and led to wide changes in the state's education system.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Tactically, the most notable feature of the final was how regularly the two goalkeepers found themselves in bizarre positions, rushing out to close down attackers in wide areas.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the cringe-comedy antics of the original NBC series landed far better in Season 3 than in Season 1, once audiences began to truly love the characters instead of just gawking at them.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Nunn has a divided audience, as the Baddies show is fueled with drama, with Jerry Springer style fights to keep viewers gawking.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Yet the shooting also divided the American public in ways that many found disturbing, including a yawning lack of empathy for the victim and even cheering for the shooter.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Dec. 2024
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In Palm Beach County, Ian's yawning reach spun up four tornadoes.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2023
Verb
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Most weather and star-gazing apps will have them.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
5 Oct. 2025
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For long stretches of the play’s first act, Winter and Reeves stay seated, perched at the tunnel’s opening, gazing out over the audience.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The eggs are the first fossils to be reliably dated from the Qinglongshan fossil reserve, which includes three sites containing more than 3,000 eggs, the majority of which are semi-exposed and preserved in 3D, with their original shapes largely intact.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Homes with high flood risk sold for lower prices while buyers paid more for those that were less exposed.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaping. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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