English vocabulary · B2
Gawk
/ɡɔːk/ · v.
To gawk is to look at someone or something for too long with your mouth or eyes wide open. Other people may find it rude.
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Example sentences
- Tourists gawked at the huge ship.
- Do not gawk at strangers.
Word origin and roots
from Middle English
- gawk — stare (from Middle English)
Synonyms and nuances
- STARE — keep looking (Look For A Long Time)
- GAPE — stare with surprise (Mouth Open Wide)
- OGLE — stare with desire (Look In A Rude Way)
Words with the same root
gawk — stare
- gawk — stare openly
- gawking — staring openly
- gawky — awkward in movement
Lesson notes
To gawk is to look at someone or something for too long with your mouth or eyes wide open. Other people may find it rude.
Related: stare, gape, ogle. Use Gawk when someone looks too long without hiding it.
Tourists gawked at the huge ship. Do not gawk at strangers.
From Middle English gowen, meaning stare. That old word became gawk: to stare openly.