GAWKING Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

gawking

verb

present participle of gawk

as in staring

to look long and hard in wonder or surprise couldn't help gawking at the exotically dressed guests in the hotel lobby

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Recent Examples of gawking The film opens with Tenzing as a boy, gawking at Mount Everest, which looms across the valley like Godzilla. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 On most days the Jewel House in the Tower of London is packed with tourists gawking at the fabled British Crown Jewels. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 Instead, the skin-frying Friday saw common flow of people going through, gawking at the large screens and a group of sailors allowing some passing by to do pull-ups from a bar. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 3 July 2026 The walk to the stadium is a mile or so along the Alaskan Way, where restaurants like the Crab Pot are opening up, but everyone is gawking at the street spectacle. — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Shoppers are gawking at their climbing receipts as food costs continue to climb. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 June 2026 This seemingly reflexive action of whipping out their phones while gawking and filming isn’t a novel occurrence. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026 Those are important characteristics for advertisers seeking to make dynamic campaigns for an audience that's grown accustomed to viewing short-form videos on Reels or gawking at cat photos on Facebook and Instagram. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026 On a typical day, the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale reverberates with animal cries and the footfalls of gawking visitors. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gawking

Verb

The Royals were out of the AL Central race by August and staring at another losing season.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Screens compound the problem because people blink less while staring at them.

— Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of staring

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gawkiness

gawking

gawkish

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“Gawking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gawking. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of gawking

verb

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