GAPE Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

gape 1 of 2

noun

Definition of gape

as in stare

a fixed intent look I told him to stop staring, that his rather stupid gape was annoying

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

gape

2 of 2

verb

ˈgāp

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

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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

Noun

Give someone these Santa Maria Novella Melograno Bath Salts, tell them the history, and watch as their mouths gape in surprise. — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026 At times, the actor feels more like a design element, akin to the marble coffins and gape-mouthed friezes of this gothic world. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025

Verb

To look through their gaping windows and imagine what that same view, in summer or winter, must have looked like more than a century ago. — Téa Obreht, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026 Northern cardinals may flirt over lunch, with a male passing a choice bite to a female, while fledglings flap, gape and beg their parents for a snack. — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gape

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gape

Noun

The crowd sips matcha dragon fruit cocktails and stares, aghast.

— Dina Cheney, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2026
Their snobbery is juxtaposed with Carney’s friend and colleague Pepper’s unsettling bluntness and eyeball to eyeball stare.

— Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of stare

Verb

People in surrounding cars gawked, waved and, in one instance, rolled down their windows to shout something that went unheard, as Bonelli explained that the van had internal cameras that were always on but not always being watched.

— Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
On most days the Jewel House in the Tower of London is packed with tourists gawking at the fabled British Crown Jewels.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of gawk

Noun

Wrangle the camera crew, line up the weirdly uninspiring but nonetheless eye-wateringly expensive homes, and for the love of God, somebody give the British TV presenting duo Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp a ring.

— Lauren O’Neill, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2026
For now, though, the puppy who once came bounding into CBS Texas is growing up right before our eyes.

— Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of eye

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gap

gape

gaped

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“Gape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gape. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of gape

noun

verb

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