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Glite Dictionary
to stand to gawk

to stand to gawk

6.4
To stand still and stare with your mouth open in surprise
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : quedarse boquiabierto
  • Children stood to gawk at the large dinosaur exhibit in the museum, their eyes wide with wonder.

Examples

  • As the spectacular fireworks lit up the sky, people stood to gawk in awe at the colorful display.

  • When the celebrity arrived at the event, fans stood to gawk, eager to catch a glimpse of her.

  • We are on display, and humans stand to gawk at us, shout, and mimic feline speech, devoid of sense.

    Fiction book (1997)

Synonyms

to stare
vsto stand to gawk
∞ 1.0

To look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes

is a standing, open-mouthed look of amazement rather than a neutral steady gaze
to gape
vsto stand to gawk
14 3.8

To look with your mouth open in surprise or wonder

is typically done while standing rather than in other postures
to gawk at
vsto stand to gawk
  • Informal
12 6.3

To stare openly in a rude or surprised way

is a standing, open-mouthed look expressing amazement not rude attention
to goggle
vsto stand to gawk
2 6.1

To look with eyes wide open because you are surprised

is often a standing, open-mouthed look of disbelief rather than only wide-eyed shock
to gawp
vsto stand to gawk
  • UK
2 9.1

To stare openly and rudely because you are surprised or curious

is a standing, open-mouthed sign of disbelief rather than a foolish gaze
to watch in awe
vsto stand to gawk
2 3.6

To look at something with strong admiration and surprise

is a standing, open-mouthed look of disbelief rather than admiring observation

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

How Attentive

to stand to gawk
  • Informal
6.4
to gawk
  • Informal
27 6.1
to stare
∞ 1.0
to look
∞ 1.0
to glance
299 1.5

Surface Forms

stand to gawk infinitive
stood to gawk past
stood to gawk past participle
standing to gawk present participle
stands to gawk third person singular

Morphology

stand + to + gawk

The phrase is compositionally transparent: a learner who knows 'stand' (be upright) and 'gawk' (stare in amazement) can infer 'stand to gawk' as standing in order to gawk. The infinitival 'to' signals purpose rather than an idiomatic shift, so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Stand to gawk shows a simple picture: people stop and stand still while they gawk, which means to stare with their mouths open at something surprising. So it means 'to stand and stare in amazement'.