GAPED Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

gaped

verb

past tense of gape

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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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 gaped In 2022, Joshua Cain and his partner, André Reyes, stepped into the foyer of the home on Monrovia’s South Ivy Avenue and gaped in wonder. — Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaped

Verb

As prosecutors played audio of Davis explaining the moment Shakur was shot, members of Shakur's family, including his stepbrother Maurice Shakur, stared ahead and listened intently from the audience.

— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Near the intersection of 11th Street and Washington Avenue, Hoffmann stopped and stared at the illuminated building across the street — the Miami Beach Police Department.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of stared

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 Thursday, the nuisance from the wings was the one being gawked at by a cast young enough to be his kids — a detail Wilson clocked from backstage.

— Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of gawked

Verb

On Air Force One, somewhere above Alaska, White House communications director Steven Cheung gazed out at the Northern Lights.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 20 Aug. 2026
Kikuko rolled over on her side and gazed up at the sky, which had suddenly become blanketed in thunder clouds.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of gazed

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gape

gaped

gaper

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“Gaped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaped. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of gaped

verb

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