gawp

American  

[gawp] / gɔp /

Or gaup

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.

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gawp British  

/ ɡɔːp /

verb

1. slang to stare stupidly; gape

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Other Word Forms

• gawper noun

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

Mr. Bale, formerly one of the leading actors of his generation, is reduced to spending most of the movie gawping at her antics.

From The Wall Street Journal

I gesture at Jonesy to calm down, but she’s still gawping at me, confused.

From Literature

Like the passengers gawping at the flames, the reader cannot look away.

From Los Angeles Times

As rescuers tended to the stricken mammal, Mr Heslop-Mullens said people "should treat it as an animal and not as something to gawp at".

From BBC

But, he added, he wouldn’t be gawping at their apartments.

From New York Times