gawk

American  

[gawk] / gɔk /

verb (used without object)

gawks, present (3rd person singular) gawked, past participle, past gawking present participle

1. to stare stupidly; gape.

   The onlookers gawked at arriving celebrities.

   Synonyms:

   rubberneck, goggle, gaze, ogle, peer

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noun

1. an awkward, foolish person.

gawk British  

/ ɡɔːk /

noun

1. a clumsy stupid person; lout

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verb

1. (intr) to stare in a stupid way; gape

Usage

Where does the word gawk come from? We've all gawked, or "stared stupidly," at various spectacles, from acrobats to celebrity meltdowns. Word nerds gawk at the origin of gawk—because it's a spectacular puzzle. Gawk is recorded in 1775–85 in American English. It's believed that gawk is based on an Old English word meaning "fool," which appears in gawk hand or gallock hand, referring to the left hand. Our apologies, lefties. An alternative idea is that gawk is based on gaw, an old word meaning "to gaze, stare," with an additional -k suffix found in other words such as talk and stalk. Stubborn isn’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has gawked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have gawked
  perfect
• are gawking
  progressive
• have been gawking
  perfect progressive
• has been gawking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am gawking
  progressive 1st person singular
• gawks
  singular 3rd person
• is gawking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• gawking
  participle

Past

• had gawked
  perfect
• had been gawking
  perfect progressive
• gawked
  simple
• was gawking
  progressive singular
• were gawking
  progressive plural
• gawked
  participle

Future

• will gawk
  simple
• will have gawked
  perfect
• will be gawking
  progressive
• will have been gawking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gawk

1775–85; apparently representing OE word meaning fool, equivalent to ga(gol) foolish + -oc -ock; used attributively in gawk hand, gallock hand left hand

Explanation

When you stare in amazement at something, you gawk at it. You might stand frozen in one position with your mouth and eyes wide open and gawk when you see a famous movie star on the street. The verb gawk was first recorded in American English in 1785. It may have evolved from the word gaw, which came from the Middle English word gowen, meaning "to stare." When you gawk at something, you get completely absorbed in what you're looking at. It's usually not considered polite behavior to gawk at another person, especially if it's someone you find attractive. After all, staring is rude.

Example Sentences

Redick said he was simply poking his head into the situation the way people might turn their heads to gawk at commotion in a bar.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

Some tourists are just people on vacation there to gawk, while others are influencers there for content.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2025

Normally closed to the public, these inspiring gardens have a lot to gawk at.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2025

The explosion happens in slow motion, allowing viewers to gawk at all of DeYoung’s shrewdly constructed, cinematic shrapnel.

From Salon • May 12, 2025

At the restaurant, we were shown to a table in a discreet corner of the room as around us people tried not to gawk.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• gape
• glare
• ogle