as in stared
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
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Recent Examples of gaped
Upon first glance of the architectural marvel that is the magnificent indoor-outdoor lobby, my mouth gaped open; on every return visit since, it's done the same.
—
Emily Adler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
Inside the old asylum, plaster peeled from mottled walls and holes gaped in the ceiling.
—Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Some stuffing gaped out of the rips on the back.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Emily Adler, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2026
Inside the old asylum, plaster peeled from mottled walls and holes gaped in the ceiling.
—Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Some stuffing gaped out of the rips on the back.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaped
Verb
-
For a few seconds, everyone at Progressive Field — players, umpires, fans, cotton candy vendors — stared at the video board, awaiting the handy diagram that would determine whether the Cleveland Guardians’ lead was in jeopardy.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Chasing Horse, wearing his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, stared straight ahead as victims read their statements.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Locals complained tourist gawked at them or traipsed through their yards.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Onlookers gawked from the balconies of nearby condo towers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rubin-Vega gazed toward the under-stairs entrance to her former apartment.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In the first image, Cole gazed lovingly at the Little Women star, who wrapped her arm around his shoulder.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gaped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaped. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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