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
At Brooks Falls, visitors watch from elevated platforms as the bruins barrel through the shallows in pursuit of silvery fish or stake out prime positions on the lip of the falls, waiting for salmon to vault from the water into their gaping maws. — Bailey Berg, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2026 As wellness clinics increasingly capitalize on the exploding interest in the chains of amino acids that promise everything from longevity to weight loss, a Washington Post investigation has found gaping holes in the nation’s regulatory system. — Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 24 July 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
  • Some edits of the clip show the character in black-and-white, staring at the camera, emulating a horror movie scene.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Some of them still live in cabins and grow their own food and others spend their days staring at Microsoft Office screens, but versions of the spontaneous hippie archetype still live on within each of them.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of gaping for Spanish Speakers

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