gawp

or gaup

[ gawp ]

verb (used without object)Chiefly Northern U.S.
  1. to stare with the mouth open in wonder or astonishment; gape: Crowds stood gawping at the disabled ship.

Origin of gawp

1
1720–30; British dial., continuing obsolete galp,Middle English galpen, perhaps blend of Middle Dutch galpen to yawn and Middle English gapen to gape

Words Nearby gawp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gawp in a sentence

  • He shoves his chair back into the corner and continues186 to gawp; so I just has to let on that he ain't there at all.

  • I tried not to gawp at what must have been a couple million bucks' worth of condo.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • It would make you mighty glad you didn't marry that young gawp at home.

    In a Little Town | Rupert Hughes
  • Walkin' over to Skeet I taps him on the shoulder, and then it's his turn to gawp at my costume.

    Torchy, Private Sec. | Sewell Ford
  • All I'm sure of is that we both sort of slowed up and did the gawp act.

    Torchy and Vee | Sewell Ford

British Dictionary definitions for gawp

gawp

gaup

/ (ɡɔːp) /


verb
  1. (intr often foll by at) British slang to stare stupidly; gape

Origin of gawp

1
C14 galpen; probably related to Old English gielpan to boast, yelp . Compare Dutch galpen to yelp

Derived forms of gawp

  • gawper, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012