gawp

American

[gawp] / gɔp /

Or gaup

verb (used without object)

Chiefly Northern U.S.

to stare with the mouth open in wonder or astonishment; gape.

Crowds stood gawping at the disabled ship.

gawp British

/ ɡɔːp /

verb

slang to stare stupidly; gape

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

gawper

noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of gawp

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

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.

In footage posted online, the two appear to be whizzing along on electric foil boards while onlookers on boats gawp at them.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2022

At least 6,000 people — maybe half the city’s population — was supposed to have been trying to gawp as Rodolfo Silvas and Francisco Martinez were led out.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2022

Samsung, for example, had giant augmented reality versions of its devices appear during its August Unpacked event live stream for its onstage presenters to pretend to gawp at.

From The Verge • Dec. 18, 2020

I was between full-time jobs and wanted to take advantage of my open schedule to jet to Southeast Asia to slurp noodles and gawp at the Transformer-sized Buddhas.

From Washington Post • Feb. 26, 2020

He entreated I should climb down to his shallop and gawp later.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023