Meaning & use
gape
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To look at something with your mouth wide open, usually from amazement or shock.
Grammar: Often with at: they gaped at the view.
Patterns
- gape at someone
- gape at something
The tourists gaped at the huge cathedral ceiling.
She gaped in disbelief when she saw the bill.
Children gaped at the magician's trick.
verbintransitive
To be wide open or split apart, as a hole or wound.
Grammar: No object; the opening is the subject: the hole gaped.
Patterns
- gape open
A huge crack gaped in the wall.
The door of the old shed gaped open.
The cave gaped before them, dark and deep.
Word forms
| third person singular | gapes |
|---|---|
| past tense | gaped |
| past participle | gaped |
| -ing form | gaping |
Common combinations
- gape at
- People gaped at the huge ship.
- gape in awe
- We gaped in awe at the waterfall.
- gape in astonishment
- He gaped in astonishment at the news.
- gaping hole
- The storm left a gaping hole in the roof.
- gape open
- The old wound gaped open.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stare
- Stare means look steadily and does not require an open mouth.
- gawk
- Gawk is informal and suggests rude, foolish staring.
- gaze
- Gaze is a calmer, longer look, often with admiration.
- goggle
- Goggle suggests wide-eyed looking, where gape focuses on the open mouth.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gape or gap?
gape vs gap
A gap is an empty space between things; gape is the verb for staring or being wide open.
Practice
The children ___ at the enormous dinosaur skeleton.
Choose one answer.
Gape at means stare in amazement; gapped is a different verb and the other options use wrong prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gape”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.