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View synonyms for

gape

[ geyp, gap ]

verb (used without object)

gaped, gaping.
  1. to stare with open mouth, as in wonder.
  2. to open the mouth wide involuntarily, as the result of hunger, sleepiness, or absorbed attention.

    Synonyms:

  3. to open as a gap; split or become open wide.

    Synonyms:



noun

  1. a wide opening; gap; breach.
  2. an act or instance of gaping.
  3. a stare, as in astonishment or with the mouth wide open.
  4. a yawn.
  5. Zoology. the width of the open mouth.

gape

/ ɡɪ /

verb

  1. to stare in wonder or amazement, esp with the mouth open
  2. to open the mouth wide, esp involuntarily, as in yawning or hunger
  3. to be or become wide open

    the crater gaped under his feet

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of gaping
  2. a wide opening; breach
  3. the width of the widely opened mouth of a vertebrate
  4. a stare or expression of astonishment
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • iԲ· adverb
  • ܲ· verb (used without object) subgaped subgaping
  • ܲ·iԲ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of gape1

1175–1225; Middle English, from Old Norse gapa “to open the mouth wide”; compare German gaffen
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Word History and Origins

Origin of gape1

C13: from Old Norse gapa; related to Middle Dutch gapen, Danish gabe
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Synonym Study

See gaze.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Chief among them is a gaping budget deficit nearing $1 billion, a number that will almost certainly require sweeping cuts and tough negotiations with the Board of Supervisors and the city’s public labor unions.

From

And to paper over this destructive policy, the administration will blow another gaping hole in the federal budget with bailout money to compensate the victims.

From

The main entrance is wrecked, dried blood still visible on the stairs, the windows now gaping holes looking out over the River Nile.

From

There’s just no way to fully replace the gaping hole that her absence leaves in USC’s lineup.

From

But there is a gaping hole in the team for the type of deep-lying playmaker role he could fill.

From

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