as in wide
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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
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
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
Essence Wiley, InStyle, 3 June 2026
This year, dozens of Bay Area school districts have announced layoffs, budget cuts or school closures in an effort to repair gaping budget deficits ranging from $6 million to over $100 million.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
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
Verb
The reality of having a curvy body type is that gaping is really hard to avoid when shopping for jeans.
—Essence Wiley, InStyle, 3 June 2026
This year, dozens of Bay Area school districts have announced layoffs, budget cuts or school closures in an effort to repair gaping budget deficits ranging from $6 million to over $100 million.
—Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gaping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaping
Adjective
-
From a national pie shop victory to a fatal military crash and a baseball controversy reaching the White House, Wednesday delivered a wide range of stories for Sacramento readers.—
Ruyuan Li. Summary produced by AI assistance,
Sacbee.com,
18 June 2026
-
Assembly Bill 46, which cleared the Senate late last month, gives judges wider latitude to deny diversion petitions and limits the types of crimes for which a defendant can be granted diversion.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The camera caught Maher staring at the stage with a slight smile, seemingly unsure how to react.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
13 June 2026
-
Most of us spend hours staring at phones, laptops and tablets every day, and our eyes feel it.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Shoppers are gawking at their climbing receipts as food costs continue to climb.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
-
This seemingly reflexive action of whipping out their phones while gawking and filming isn’t a novel occurrence.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Some lenders are more exposed than others.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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The outer layers of the star will eventually cool and disperse, leaving a nebula of ex-stellar material surrounding the sun's core, which will then become an exposed cooling stellar remnant called a white dwarf.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Yoon’s wife is gazing at a small, framed photo on the cabinet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The star was photographed cozying up to Consuelos on the red carpet, laughing at their private conversation, and gazing at him.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaping. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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