Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to gawk at

to gawk at

12 6.3
To stare openly in a rude or surprised way
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡɔk æt/
  • Informal
translation icon : mirar embobado a
  • Tom stopped to gawk at Lenin, but a guard tapped him roughly on the shoulder to move him.
  • people gawk at
  • tourists gawk at
  • gawk at the sight

Examples

  • People will fly here from halfway across the world to gawk at a whale or to take a picture of a gannet.

    Rare Birds (2001)

  • What are you gawking at?

    The Informer (1935)

  • What are you guys gawking at?

    Mars Attacks! (1996)

  • Why are you gawking at me?

    Yes, Giorgio (1982)

  • They totally gawk at me when they come over.

    Against the Wild II: Survive the Serengeti (2016)

  • Well, if you've come just to gawk at my shop, I have more important things to do.

    The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

  • Robin pulls to a stop on the street, and Adam and Ryan run out to gawk at all the workers.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Isaac and Dorothy are standing in the yard, gawking at the fountain.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • For a second, they stop sipping, chewing, and talking, and just gawk at me.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Tourists often gawk at the stunning architecture of the historic buildings.

Synonyms

to gawk
vsto gawk at
  • Informal
27 6.1

To stare openly at a person or thing because you feel surprised

is more often rude or surprised not merely showing foolishness
to gape
vsto gawk at
14 3.8

To look with your mouth open in surprise or wonder

is a general open stare that often lacks the mouth open aspect
to goggle
vsto gawk at
2 6.1

To look with eyes wide open because you are surprised

is a broader open stare and not focused only on very wide eyes
to gawp
vsto gawk at
  • UK
2 9.1

To stare openly and rudely because you are surprised or curious

is more often rude or shows surprise rather than just foolish curiosity
to gaw
vsto gawk at
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To stare openly because you are surprised or curious

is the general standard term used outside regional or dialect speech
to couldn't help but gawk
vsto gawk at
  • Informal
8.2

To be unable to stop yourself from staring in a rude or amazed way

describes a normal open stare that can be controlled rather than involuntary

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to look away
125 2.2

Turn your eyes away from a person or thing that makes you uncomfortable

How Intently

to gape
14 3.8
to stare
∞ 1.0
to gawk at
  • Informal
12 6.3
to look at
∞ 1.0
to peek
119 1.1
to glance at
150 2.0

Surface Forms

gawk at infinitive
gawked at past
gawked at past participle
gawking at present participle
gawks at third person singular

Morphology

gawk + at

The verb 'gawk' already means to stare openly with rude amazement, and the particle 'at' simply marks the target of that staring; the combined meaning is directly derivable from the constituents. This construction follows a common verb + preposition pattern and would be clearly understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Gawk at may come from an old word for a clumsy, silly person and creates the picture of someone standing with their mouth open like a strange bird, staring. That's why gawk at means 'to stare' in a rude or surprised way.