gawk

1 of 2

noun

: a clumsy stupid person : lout

gawk

2 of 2

verb

gawked; gawking; gawks

intransitive verb

: to gape or stare stupidly
gawked at the fish in the aquarium
gawker noun

Examples of gawk in a Sentence

Noun thought that the linebackers were dumb gawks until he got to know them better Verb a crowd of gawking tourists couldn't help gawking at the exotically dressed guests in the hotel lobby
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Esprit's shape, arguably more avant-garde despite its age, consistently pegs the gawk meter. John Phillips, Car and Driver, 18 June 2020 The badaud, by contrast, is always liable to form a group or crowd, either for a mass gawk or some communal response. Julian Barnes, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2022 People in the tavern gawk as Jamie interrogates his aunt, accusing her of purchasing a shop for Fergus to print propaganda. Lincee Ray, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2022 With its cool look and flashy two-tone color schemes, folks will take gawk at the RAV4 Prime at the stoplight. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 30 Oct. 2021 People take deep breaths to inhale fresh air, gawk at the wildlife and rock climb. NBC News, 24 Mar. 2021 This is pretty typical of my Chicago unrealistic gawk-searching. Rebecca Makkai, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2021 The reader doesn’t gawk at her tragedy and resilience. Karen Valby, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2020 Even in the drowsy predawn morning, onlookers stopped to gawk. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2019
Verb
The not-famous attendees walk a far less noticeable carpet path and are urged (often) to move into the theater and stop gawking. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 One tussle is composed in black and white; others take place with the creatures skidding on oil slicks and water puddles, or gawking as the Chameleon, living up to her name, throws a jab that mutates into an elephant’s trunk. Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The modern memoir is the proving ground for our national obsession with trauma, a place to gawk at whoever comes through the emotional meat grinder with the good sense and talent to finesse their damage into a redemption song. Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024 Other than gawking at power players and world leaders, there’s a lot to do in D.C. Skye Sherman, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2024 Clusters of people — mostly men — drink and gawk at the big-screen TVs that line the walls and are currently playing rugby and golf. Avery Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024 The long, rectangular lounge is one long bar on the right, dance floor on the left, and some chairs and tables for those who want to sit and gawk. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024 Once again, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is upon us, bringing thousands of tech workers, journalists, startup founders, bloggers and early adopters to Las Vegas to hawk and gawk at the most useful, wonderful and weird new gadgets. Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024 But the second oldest of his four sons has rarely tried one on or gawked at that war chest. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gawk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from English dialect gawk left-handed

Verb

perhaps alteration of obsolete gaw to stare

First Known Use

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gawk was in 1757

Dictionary Entries Near gawk

Cite this Entry

“Gawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gawk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gawk

verb
ˈgȯk
: to stare stupidly
Etymology

Verb

probably an altered form of obsolete gaw "to stare"

More from Merriam-Webster on gawk

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!