MEANING
To stare openly and awkwardly, often with excessive curiosity.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- gawk at someone
- gawk in wonder
On the page
He stopped gawking when she met his eyes.
Word forms
- Base
- gawk
- Past tense
- gawked
- Past participle
- gawked
- Present participle
- gawking
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- gawk
- Present continuous
- am/is/are gawking
- Present perfect
- have/has gawked
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been gawking
- Past
- gawked
- Past continuous
- was/were gawking
- Past perfect
- had gawked
- Past perfect continuous
- had been gawking
- Future
- will gawk
- Future continuous
- will be gawking
- Future perfect
- will have gawked
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been gawking
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: gawk; gawks; gawked; gawked; gawking 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: gawks.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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