Gape

Quick meaning: Gape is a verb meaning (intransitive) To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in a yawn, anger, or surprise.

Meaning

(intransitive) To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in a yawn, anger, or surprise.

More Meanings

1. (intransitive) To stare in wonder.
2. (intransitive) To open wide; to display a gap.
3. (intransitive, of a cat) To open the passage to the vomeronasal organ, analogous to the flehming in other animals.
4. (pornography) To depict a dilated anal or vaginal cavity upon penetrative sexual activity.
5. (uncommon) An act of gaping; a yawn.
6. A large opening.
7. (uncountable) A disease in poultry caused by gapeworm in the windpipe, a symptom of which is frequent gaping.

Example Sentences

The wound was gaping open and losing too much blood.

May that ground gape, and swallow me alive, / Where I shall kneel to him who slew my father!

The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world. They can sit at their ease and gape at the play.

Brother Francine demands stronger rules, damns the needs of the body, and then sneaks off to a public pool to gape obscenely at the casually exposed flesh.

Word Forms

• gapes
• gaping
• gaped

Synonyms for gape

Depending on context, synonyms include gawk, gawp, goggle, yawn, yaw.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include yawn, gawp, goggle, gawk, yaw, stare.

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