as in stared
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
couldn't help gawking at the exotically dressed guests in the hotel lobby
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Recent Examples of gawked
Still, other Coppin State runners gawked at his broad chest, bulging biceps and thick quads.
—
Tyler Jett, Des Moines Register, 21 Jan. 2026
They’re presented as endearing surprises of nature and life, celebrated rather than gawked at.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Drilling for progress As the rest of us gawked at Maye’s pinpoint accuracy on his 55-yard completion to Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win — the longest of his career — Maye’s position coach smiled for a different reason.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Tyler Jett, Des Moines Register, 21 Jan. 2026
They’re presented as endearing surprises of nature and life, celebrated rather than gawked at.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Drilling for progress As the rest of us gawked at Maye’s pinpoint accuracy on his 55-yard completion to Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win — the longest of his career — Maye’s position coach smiled for a different reason.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawked
Verb
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Hunter-Torricke stared at the dead child and thought of his father.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
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There on the wall, a picture of Verlander stared at them.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yoon’s lawyers reject conviction An expressionless Yoon gazed straight ahead as the judge delivered the sentence in the same courtroom where former military rulers and presidents have been convicted of treason, corruption and other crimes over the decades.—
Kim Tong-Hyung,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Dreher led me to a spot at the center of the nave and gazed down.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gawked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawked. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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