agape
adverb
with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness.
agape
1 American
[uh-geyp, uh-gap]
/ əˈgeɪp, əˈgæp /
adverb
-
with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness.
We stood there agape at the splendor.
-
wide open.
his mouth agape.
agape
2
American
[ah-gah-pey, ah-guh-pey, ag-uh-]
/ ɑˈgɑ peɪ, ˈɑ gəˌpeɪ, ˈæg ə- /
noun
agapae,
plural
agapai
plural
-
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.
Agape
1
British
/ ˈæɡəpɪ /
noun
-
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
agape
2
British
/ əˈɡeɪp /
adjective
-
(esp of the mouth) wide open
-
very surprised, expectant, or eager, esp as indicated by a wide open mouth
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.
Vocabulary lists containing agape
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The mouths of journalists were agape, but time dulls horrific reality.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Davies tells Newsbeat he shared his plan with BBC bosses, leaving them "with jaws agape, loving it".
From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025
By late afternoon, Fernandez is dozing in his chair, mouth agape, hands clasped in his lap.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2024
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
The passenger door was flung open, and his mother emerged from it, her mouth agape, and Moss dropped his bag at his side.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
