MEANING
1. To stare with the mouth open in surprise or wonder.
2. To be open widely, often revealing a gap or interior.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- gape at a sight
- gape in amazement
On the page
The visitors gaped at the empty chamber.
Word forms
- Base
- gape
- Past tense
- gaped
- Past participle
- gaped
- Present participle
- gaping
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- gape
- Present continuous
- am/is/are gaping
- Present perfect
- have/has gaped
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been gaping
- Past
- gaped
- Past continuous
- was/were gaping
- Past perfect
- had gaped
- Past perfect continuous
- had been gaping
- Future
- will gape
- Future continuous
- will be gaping
- Future perfect
- will have gaped
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been gaping
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: gape; gapes; gaped; gaped; gaping Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: gapes.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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