gaping 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of gapingnext
as in wide

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gaping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of gape
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 gaping
Adjective
Given that there is no witness to what happened, that leaves a very gaping hole in this investigation. — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025 And that is just a gaping fundamental hole with the entire structure. — David Pogue, CBS News, 30 June 2024
Verb
To look through their gaping windows and imagine what that same view, in summer or winter, must have looked like more than a century ago. — Téa Obreht, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026 Anže Kopitar’s retirement has left a gaping need for a bona fide top-six center to play behind Quinton Byfield. — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gaping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaping
  1. wide
  2. staring
  3. yawning
  4. gawking
  5. exposed
  6. gazing
Adjective
  • Trade talks with Canada collapsed late Friday night, setting in motion steep 50% tariffs on a wide swath of Canadian goods.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Culinary Experiences All 8 million New Yorkers bring unique perspectives and ways of life to the city, which makes way for many vibrant neighborhoods with a wide array of foods to try.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of wide
Verb
  • For you, that could mean fewer moments spent staring at your Messages app waiting for a bank code to arrive.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Auf der Maur, in white, is twisted away from the audience, staring intently at the lens.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of staring
Adjective
  • 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
  • In Palm Beach County, Ian's yawning reach spun up four tornadoes.
    — Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2023
Definition of yawning
Verb
  • On most days the Jewel House in the Tower of London is packed with tourists gawking at the fabled British Crown Jewels.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, the skin-frying Friday saw common flow of people going through, gawking at the large screens and a group of sailors allowing some passing by to do pull-ups from a bar.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of gawking
Adjective
  • Morgan Stanley said Equinix and Digital Realty are less exposed because their facilities average roughly 5 to 10 megawatts, far below the gigawatt-scale AI campuses planned by hyperscalers and neocloud operators.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The fact that my life is so exposed is incredibly complex for me.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of exposed
Verb
  • Deployed in 2004, the Swift Observatory spent over two decades gazing into some of the universe’s most powerful explosions.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Yes, seen from down in the crater, the sky was a piece of living archaeology, and the longer Gunn could spend gazing out at it, the better her grasp of the root of time.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of gazing

Browse Nearby Words

gapes
gaping
gaps
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Cite this Entry

“Gaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaping. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of gaping for Spanish Speakers

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