Standard Lemma guide

gape

noun · verb · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɡeɪp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪp
  • CMU ARPABET: G EY1 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An act of gaping; a yawn.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncommon, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A large opening.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A disease in poultry caused by gapeworm in the windpipe, a symptom of which is frequent gaping.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The width of an opening.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The maximum opening of the mouth (of a bird, fish, etc.) when it is open.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • 1723, Jonathan Swift, The Journal of a Modern Lady, 1810, Samuel Johnson, The Works of the English Poets, from Chaucer to Cowper, Volume 11, page 467, She stretches, gapes, unglues her eyes, / And asks if it be time to rise;

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To stare in wonder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To open wide; to display a gap.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • The wound was gaping open and losing too much blood.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To open the passage to the vomeronasal organ, analogous to the flehming in other animals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To depict a dilated anal or vaginal cavity upon penetrative sexual activity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: lifestyle, media, pornography, sexuality

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

a stare of amazement (usually with the mouth open)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stare

12

noun

Meaning 12

an expression of openmouthed astonishment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: facial expression, facial gesture

Narrower terms: rictus

13

verb

Meaning 13

look with amazement; look stupidly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: goggle, gawp, gawk

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: look

14

verb

Meaning 14

be wide open

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the deep gaping canyon

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: yawn, yaw

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: be

History

Etymology

From Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa (“to gape”) (compare Swedish gapa, Danish gabe), from Proto-Germanic *gapōną (descendants Middle English geapen, Dutch gapen, German gaffen), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵhеh2b-. Cognates include Russian зяпа (zjapa). Doublet of gap.

Across languages

Translations

61 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: прозявка (prozjavka) — a yawn
  • Finnish: haukotus — a yawn
  • Russian: зево́к (zevók) — a yawn
  • Bulgarian: зея (zeja) — to open the mouth wide
  • Bulgarian: прозявам се (prozjavam se) — to open the mouth wide
  • Chinese Mandarin: 張嘴 /张嘴 (zhāngzuǐ) — to open the mouth wide
  • Czech: zívat — to open the mouth wide
  • Danish: gabe — to open the mouth wide
  • Dutch: gapen — to open the mouth wide
  • Esperanto: faŭki — to open the mouth wide
  • Finnish: avata ammolleen — to open the mouth wide
  • French: bayer — to open the mouth wide
  • French: béer — to open the mouth wide
  • Georgian: პირის დაღება (ṗiris daɣeba) — to open the mouth wide
  • Georgian: პირის დაფჩენა (ṗiris dapčena) — to open the mouth wide
  • German: gähnen — to open the mouth wide
  • Hungarian: tát — to open the mouth wide
  • Hungarian: kitát — to open the mouth wide
  • Hungarian: tátog — to open the mouth wide
  • Italian: spalancare — to open the mouth wide
  • Lithuanian: žiopsoti — to open the mouth wide
  • Malay: nganga — to open the mouth wide
  • Māori: piere — to open the mouth wide
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: gapa — to open the mouth wide
  • Polish: rozdziawiać — to open the mouth wide
  • Russian: разева́ть рот (razevátʹ rot) — to open the mouth wide
  • Russian: рази́нуть рот (razínutʹ rot) — to open the mouth wide
  • Serbo-Croatian: зја́пити — to open the mouth wide
  • Serbo-Croatian: zjápiti — to open the mouth wide
  • Spanish: boquear — to open the mouth wide
  • Swahili: achama — to open the mouth wide
  • Swedish: gapa — to open the mouth wide
  • Tocharian B: kāy- — to open the mouth wide
  • Ottoman Turkish: اسنمك (esnemek) — to open the mouth wide
  • Bulgarian: зяпам (zjapam) — to stare in wonderment
  • Czech: zírat — to stare in wonderment
  • Czech: koukat — to stare in wonderment
  • Esperanto: gapi — to stare in wonderment
  • Finnish: toljottaa — to stare in wonderment
  • Georgian: პირის დაღება (ṗiris daɣeba) — to stare in wonderment
  • Georgian: მიშტერება (mišṭereba) — to stare in wonderment
  • Georgian: პირის დაფჩენა (ṗiris dapčena) — to stare in wonderment
  • Georgian: მიჩერება (mičereba) — to stare in wonderment
  • Māori: putē — to stare in wonderment
  • Māori: titiro māhoi — to stare in wonderment
  • Russian: глазе́ть (glazétʹ) — to stare in wonderment
  • Russian: тара́щиться (taráščitʹsja) — to stare in wonderment
  • Russian: пя́литься (pjálitʹsja) — to stare in wonderment
  • Swedish: gapa — to stare in wonderment
  • Yiddish: גאַפֿן (gafn) — to stare in wonderment
  • Bulgarian: зея (zeja) — to open wide
  • Finnish: ammottaa — to open wide
  • French: béer — to open wide
  • Georgian: მთქნარება (mtknareba) — to open wide
  • Georgian: დამთქნარება (damtknareba) — to open wide
  • German: klaffen — to open wide
  • Māori: kotā — to open wide
  • Portuguese: escancarar — to open wide
  • Russian: зия́ть (zijátʹ) — to open wide
  • Spanish: abrirse — to open wide
  • Swedish: gapa — to open wide