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• agape
  agape

  adverb

  with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness.
• Agape
  Agape

  noun

  Christian love, esp as contrasted with erotic love; charity

agape

¹ American  

[uh-geyp, uh-gap] / əˈgeɪp, əˈgæp /

adverb

1. with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness.

   We stood there agape at the splendor.

2. wide open.

   his mouth agape.

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agape ² American  

[ah-gah-pey, ah-guh-pey, ag-uh-] / ɑˈgɑ peɪ, ˈɑ gəˌpeɪ, ˈæg ə- /

noun

plural

agapae, agapai

1. the love of God or Christ for humankind.

2. the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.

3. unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.

4. love feast.

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Agape ¹ British  

/ ˈæɡəpɪ /

noun

1. Christian love, esp as contrasted with erotic love; charity

2. a communal meal in the early Church taken in commemoration of the Last Supper; love feast

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agape ² British  

/ əˈɡeɪp /

adjective

1. (esp of the mouth) wide open

2. very surprised, expectant, or eager, esp as indicated by a wide open mouth

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Etymology

Origin of agape¹

First recorded in 1660–70; a- ¹ + gape

Origin of agape²

First recorded in 1600–10, agape is from the Greek word agápē “love”

Explanation

If you’re watching a powerful display of nature such as an avalanche, you might stare at it with your mouth agape, which means your mouth would be wide open in awe. You should close it, before it is full of snow. Agape, you may have already figured out, comes from the verb gape, meaning "to open wide or split." This is what happens to your mouth when you are looking agape at something in amazement. Don’t confuse mouth-wide-open agape with the other agape, which is spelled the same but pronounced differently and refers to Christian love.

Example Sentences

Davies tells Newsbeat he shared his plan with BBC bosses, leaving them "with jaws agape, loving it".

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

There I was, learning about the end of this particular chapter of democracy while trying on jorts 50 percent off at a Gap Outlet, my mouth agape at the not-surprising but still-shocking news.

From Slate • Jul. 21, 2024

In one thread, a man fails to contain his awe at the power of nuclear energy, and ultimately finds himself split into dozens of clones, staring, mouth agape, on another plane of existence.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2024

In “Dangerous Offering,” a cubic, unglazed serpent waits with its mouth agape, ready to snap the hand that reaches into the offering bowl.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2023

I don’t know how long I'd been standing like that, gawking, mouth agape, when Jules suddenly tugged my arm and dragged me into the crowd after her.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely