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GAPE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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View synonyms for gape

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: yawn

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

    Synonyms: yawn



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

/ ɡeɪp /

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 Words From

  • gaping·ly adverb
  • sub·gape verb (used without object) subgaped subgaping
  • un·gaping 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

Never mind that she inherited a city with creaking infrastructure, gaping budget deficits and voters who demanded she address homelessness and crime more than fire mitigation.

Scores of mangled and cracked vessels sit on stacks, gaping holes in their hulls, their rudders snapped off and cabin windows broken.

From BBC

The jetty where we were dropped had huge, gaping holes in places.

From BBC

Entire sections are still jagged cityscapes of grey rubble and gaping ruins.

From BBC

For The Times and virtually every other paper in America, incremental increases in online subscriptions have not been enough to fill gaping budget holes.

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