gape
part of speech
verb (gape, gapes, gaped, gaping); noun (a gape, gapes)
meaning for a pupil
1) To stare with your mouth wide open, because you are surprised or amazed. tree →
2) To be or become wide open: a hole gaped in the wall. tree →
3) (noun) A wide-open mouth or a wide opening; in birds, the width of the open beak. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories, characters «gape» when they are shocked or astonished, and a «gaping hole» or «gaping wound» is a big, frightening opening. In science, the gape of a bird or snake is how wide it can open its mouth. Phrases: gape at, a gaping hole, gaping mouth, stand gaping.
examples
- We gaped at the giant whale skeleton in the museum. tree →
- The children gaped when the magician vanished. tree →
- A huge hole gaped in the road after the flood. tree →
- Don't just stand there gaping, help me! tree →
- The baby birds gaped, waiting for worms. tree →
- A snake's gape lets it swallow an egg whole. tree →
- There was a gaping hole in the fence where the cow got out. tree →
- The gape of his enormous jaws was nearly as wide as the gateway of the king's palace. tree →
note
Past: gaped (one p); -ing: gaping. Pronounced to rhyme with «tape». Do not confuse with «gasp» (a quick breath in) or «gap» (a space). «Gawp» (UK) is a similar informal word for staring rudely.
In the corpora
- Deep or gaping cuts heal better when the edges are held together by stitches, medical glue or paper strips.
- Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the snare gapeth for their substance.
- They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek scornfully; they gather themselves together against me.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «gape» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.