as in stare
a fixed intent look
I told him to stop staring, that his rather stupid gape was annoying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to stare
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 gape
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 Oct. 2024
His mistakes are his fumbling misstatements and his inability to control his gape on-camera and his willingness to stoop to Trump’s level (late in the debate mocking Trump’s weight), a strategy that has not once worked.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 28 June 2024
Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
In some lobbies, the buttons for elevators that service the lower floors are missing and instead have a gaping rectangular hole exposing the wiring.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gape
Noun
But this means a snake’s overall mouth size expands in conjunction with the larger diameter, says researchers, who add this means a 10.2-in gape increases its total area by 40-percent.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 24 Oct. 2024
His mistakes are his fumbling misstatements and his inability to control his gape on-camera and his willingness to stoop to Trump’s level (late in the debate mocking Trump’s weight), a strategy that has not once worked.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 28 June 2024
Verb
No gaping roster holes allows Ravens to stick to best-player-available approach
There are still areas that the Ravens need to add depth and starting competition.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
In some lobbies, the buttons for elevators that service the lower floors are missing and instead have a gaping rectangular hole exposing the wiring.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gape
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gape
Noun
-
When his glistening herb-mint facial mask peels off, his real mask slips, revealing his unsettling stare.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2025
-
If he was dismayed by a team-mate or disappointed by a performance, the hands-on-hips thousand-yard stare was inescapable.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Then, after the arranging was complete, came that fleeting and glorious moment: The crowd gawked and took photos of the 1,387 cakes, both sweet and savory, in their pristine, unsliced form.—
Simon J. Levien,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2025
-
About 20 minutes later, however, the whirring device crept back to gawk some more at her personal space.—
James Hibberd,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
About her calm power and that soft, unblinking gaze.—
Nina E. Cerfolio,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Mud puddles are courageous, too, when returning the unblinking, burning gaze of the sky’s white eye.—
contributing Monitor poets,
Christian Science Monitor,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
To implement the policy, staff members were told to keep an eye on visitors, and check in to see if individuals are waiting on mobile orders, meeting someone, or other scenarios.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
To the untrained eye, glass skin and butter skin may not seem all that different; but there are a few key differentiating factors.—
Jana Pollack,
Parents,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gape. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share