gapes

American  

[geyps, gaps] / geɪps, gæps /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. Veterinary Pathology. a parasitic disease of poultry and other birds, characterized by frequent gaping due to infestation of the trachea and bronchi with gapeworms.

2. a fit of yawning.

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gapes British  

/ ɡeɪps /

noun

1. a disease of young domestic fowl, characterized by gaping or gasping for breath and caused by parasitic worms ( gapeworms )

2. informal a fit of yawning

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Other Word Forms

• gapy adjective

Etymology

Origin of gapes

see origin at gape, -s ³

Example Sentences

And deep in the North Atlantic Ocean, an anglerfish gapes into the gloom.

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2023

The crater gapes at about 13 miles wide and 2.6 miles deep.

From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2023

The line of the river now gapes like an open wound, perhaps a hundred metres across in places.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2023

When pipes experience a catastrophic failure, the breach typically is much bigger, what’s referred to in the industry as a "fish mouth" rupture because it gapes wide like the mouth of a fish, he said.

From Fox News • Oct. 8, 2021

The bed’s stripped to the mattress, the closet gapes open, showing the emptiness inside, but I’d know this room anywhere.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins