as in stares
a fixed intent look
I told him to stop staring, that his rather stupid gape was annoying
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in gazes
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
she suddenly realized she had been gaping at the good-looking waiter instead of giving him her order
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of gapes
Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Straitjacketed inside the inescapable present, Pearl gapes up to discover that her husband, Walker, has found her; Walker was always going to find her.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gapes
Noun
-
At the gym, located in Garden Grove, Hansen says they were met with unwelcoming and leering stares before entering the facility.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
In Iris’ eyes (which Petrova communicates nonverbally via smitten stares), bonding with Aris, even if under circumstances mostly advantageous to him, fills an empty cup within her.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As for the tourists, their van pulls up, far in the background of a long shot that gazes through the grand lobby of the hotel—where, in the foreground, a small folk orchestra of blind musicians, accompanied by a dance troupe’s festive gyrations, provides a showy welcome.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Curving around the glistening, glacial Sarmiento Lake, an amphitheater of rooms gazes up at the Paine massif, with scenes constantly shifting depending on the time of day.—
Sarah Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But that’s not what the nebula would look like to human eyes, as the non-polarized version below clearly shows.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
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And while their steamy, sweaty dalliances are hot and heavy (albeit mostly clothed), most swoonworthy are the smaller moments, like Heathcliff gently cupping his hands to keep the rain out of Cathy’s eyes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gapes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gapes. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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