as in wide
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Dissimilar Words
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
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Recent Examples of gaping
Vogue, 19 July 2024
And that is just a gaping fundamental hole with the entire structure.
—David Pogue, CBS News, 30 June 2024
Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaping
Adjective
If the absence of Succession has left a dark and gaping hole in your heart, formerly filled by the epic, desperate machinations of the one-percent: tune in.
—Vogue, 19 July 2024
And that is just a gaping fundamental hole with the entire structure.
—David Pogue, CBS News, 30 June 2024
Verb
The footage shows the fish start to swim faster and more erratically when a large whale suddenly breaks through the school of fish with its gaping maw.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaping
Adjective
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First found in the 1930s, this interpretation was later validated by a wide variety of laboratory experiments.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Low-resolution Surveying involves gathering surface-level information about a wide variety of topics—knowing a little about a lot of stuff.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Regardless of how the strike turns out, Laurel Lucia, deputy executive director for the Labor Center at UC Berkeley, said the health care industry in California is staring at considerable changes to its business landscape.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Alessandro Michele, at Valentino, was also thinking of how to collide reality and fantasy, staging his collection in nooks inspired by the kaiser panorama, an early 20th century precursor to cinema, in which viewers sat around a circle, staring into a contraption displaying slides.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As such, anticipated spending cuts have not materialized and British Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announced tax hikes in her next Autumn Budget to fill a yawning fiscal hole that could be as much as £50 billion ($67.2 billion), although estimates vary.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
-
If gawking at celebrities is your thing.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Here, astronomers are gawking at a radio signal that appears crudely on the screen like a crooked game of Pong but turns out to be a line of data repeated every 78 seconds from 600 light-years away.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The room has a Prohibition Era feel, with its exposed brick bar, antique marble floors, warm lighting and leather barstools.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Without effective armored support, Russian infantry assaults are slower, more exposed, and far more vulnerable to Ukrainian fires, resulting in high casualties and limited gains.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the Kardashian-Jenner version, Jenner, in a plunging black dress, played the part of Loren, gazing over at Kardashian who smiled at the camera in a blonde wig and plunging white silk dress.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
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So having another person in her space was always a little surprising, even if the curator, gazing at her with his usual mix of mild reproach and gauzy concern, seemed not abundantly different from the empty chair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaping. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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