gawp

English

Alternative forms

• gaup

Etymology

Variation of gape.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: gôp, IPA^(key): /ɡɔːp/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːp

Verb

gawp (third-person singular simple present gawps, present participle gawping, simple past and past participle gawped)

1. (chiefly British) To stare stupidly or rudely; to gawk.
   • 1961, John Steinbeck, Molly Morgan‎^[1]:

     “I have tickets for the train to New York tonight. Hurry up, Molly! Don’t stand there gawping.”

   • 2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

     The lady looked around to see that there were hundreds of sets of eyes staring back at her. Even the screaming toddlers had momentarily stopped screaming and were gawping.

Derived terms

• gawper

Translations

gawk — see gawk

Noun

gawp (plural gawps)

1. (British) A stupefied or amazed stare.
   • 2019, The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget:

     Come in for a gawp at the sweets and pastries that run three rows deep at this rustically contemporary (or contemporarily rustic) cake shop.

Anagrams

• GWAP, PAWG, WPGA, gwap