with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness.
We stood there agape at the splendor.
wide open.
his mouth agape.
the love of God or Christ for humankind.
the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.
unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.
Christian love, esp as contrasted with erotic love; charity
a communal meal in the early Church taken in commemoration of the Last Supper; love feast
(esp of the mouth) wide open
very surprised, expectant, or eager, esp as indicated by a wide open mouth
First recorded in 1660–70; a- 1 + gape
First recorded in 1600–10, agape is from the Greek word agápē “love”
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Agape Health added Saturday hours because of an influx of new patients after Martin General closed, said clinic CEO Dr. Michael McDuffie.
From Seattle Times • May 19, 2024
The study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01NS094564, R21NS106307, and RF1AG077451, as well as grants from the Hartwell Foundation, Cure SMA, and the Agape Foundation.
From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2023
There were hundreds in the bright yellow buildings of the Agape Mision Mundial shelter, as more arrived at the metal gate with little more than paperwork and a few belongings.
From Washington Times • May 12, 2023
The settlement amounts for the lawsuits against the former Agape Baptist Church were not disclosed, The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 2023
Agape, we’d stood on the sidewalk with our sodas while he waved and dashed into the store.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
