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
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
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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The Green Bay Packers’ first-year team president stared blankly out at Soldier Field from the first row of the press box.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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Half our motley crew of six still stared at our phones, though.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pair—who’ve been married since 2018—held hands and gazed at each other, and the Love Again star was photographed adjusting her husband’s black bow tie and putting her hand on his chest.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
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Countless people around the world have unknowingly gazed into a fourth-floor room of the former Jefferson Hotel in Phoenix.—
Douglas C. Towne,
AZCentral.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gawked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawked. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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