gawk
1 of 2noun
ˈgȯk 
: a clumsy stupid person : lout
gawk
2 of 2verb
gawked; gawking; gawks
intransitive verb
: to gape or stare stupidly
gawked at the fish in the aquarium
gawker noun
Synonyms
Noun
- clod
- clodhopper
- hulk
- lout
- lubber
- lug
- lump
- Neanderthal
- oaf
- palooka
Verb
- blink
- gape
- gawp [chiefly British]
- gaze
- goggle
- peer
- rubberneck
- stare
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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
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 By Saturday afternoon, reporters and photographers loitered outside the restaurant, as did people who had wandered over to gawk. Sarah Murray, latimes.com, 24 June 2018 Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2022 One channel is just for people to post photos of their record collections for others to gawk at. Justin Pot, WSJ, 26 July 2022 When this yellow 48-inch dual fuel, double oven masterpiece arrived in our Lab, everyone stopped to gawk. Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, 26 July 2022 Previously at this time of year, wealthy shoppers and tourists — many of whom came more to gawk then to buy — walked shoulder to shoulder on crowded sidewalks. Michael Tarm, Star Tribune, 13 Aug. 2020 Lora Johnson and her sister bypassed the slot machines and blackjack tables and didn't even stop to gawk at the cake vending machine on their way through The Cromwell Hotel & Casino. USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2022 This urge to gawk at the unspoken parts of war reminded me of my second deployment as a Marine in southern Afghanistan in 2010, where there was plenty of killing and dying but not on a scale comparable to Ukraine. New York Times, 13 June 2022 The chance to gawk at the splayed viscera of other people’s lives would surely attract viewers no matter who occupied the therapist’s chair. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 Bruce Paddock, who bought his first Riva Aquarama in 2009, recalls going to a waterside restaurant near his home on Lake Minnetonka, Minn., and watching the diners flock outside to gawk. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2022 See More
Noun
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 By Saturday afternoon, reporters and photographers loitered outside the restaurant, as did people who had wandered over to gawk. Sarah Murray, latimes.com, 24 June 2018 Verb
Seriously, why just gawk at the ocean views when you can be whisked away for an immersive, open-water experience instead? Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2022 One channel is just for people to post photos of their record collections for others to gawk at. Justin Pot, WSJ, 26 July 2022 When this yellow 48-inch dual fuel, double oven masterpiece arrived in our Lab, everyone stopped to gawk. Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, 26 July 2022 Previously at this time of year, wealthy shoppers and tourists — many of whom came more to gawk then to buy — walked shoulder to shoulder on crowded sidewalks. Michael Tarm, Star Tribune, 13 Aug. 2020 Lora Johnson and her sister bypassed the slot machines and blackjack tables and didn't even stop to gawk at the cake vending machine on their way through The Cromwell Hotel & Casino. USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2022 This urge to gawk at the unspoken parts of war reminded me of my second deployment as a Marine in southern Afghanistan in 2010, where there was plenty of killing and dying but not on a scale comparable to Ukraine. New York Times, 13 June 2022 The chance to gawk at the splayed viscera of other people’s lives would surely attract viewers no matter who occupied the therapist’s chair. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 Bruce Paddock, who bought his first Riva Aquarama in 2009, recalls going to a waterside restaurant near his home on Lake Minnetonka, Minn., and watching the diners flock outside to gawk. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
gawk
verb
ˈgȯk
gawked; gawking
: to stare stupidly
She stood there gawking at the celebrities.
gawk 1 of 2
noun
as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person thought that the linebackers were dumb gawks until he got to know them better Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- hulk
- lump
- idiot
- creep
- stupid
- moron
- mutt
- loser
- lug
- brute
- turkey
- lout
- snake
- clown
- palooka
- beast
- goose
- fool
- skunk
- lunatic
- villain
- turkey
- cluck
- oaf
- lubber
- clodhopper
- natural
- dummy
- clod
- heel
- prat
- dip
- chump
- blunderer
- slouch
- stock
- gander
- donkey
- simp
- Neanderthal
- cad
- goof
- stupe
- ape
- imbecile
- dolt
- yahoo
- nut
- numskull
- bonehead
- ignoramus
- rogue
- looney
- dork
- knucklehead
- ninny
- dope
- noddy
- galoot
- clunk
- dullard
- hammerhead
- dunderhead
- schlemiel
- goon
- blockhead
- dimwit
- shlemiel
- lunkhead
- jackass
- boor
- chowderhead
- anthropoid
- doofus
- loggerhead
- meathead
- chucklehead
- hardhead
- dumbhead
- deadhead
- stinker
- cretin
- cur
- noodle
- schnook
- ninnyhammer
- airhead
- tyke
- dummkopf
- loon
- numbskull
- bubblehead
- booby
- pinhead
- thickhead
- tike
- cuddie
- nincompoop
- saphead
- lamebrain
- madman
- nimrod
- louse
- churl
- loony
- golem
- woodenhead
- shlub
- dunce
- simpleton
- schlub
- mome
- dumbbell
- clodpole
- clodpoll
- fathead
- cuddy
- mug
- dodo
- birdbrain
- know-nothing
- dim bulb
- nit
- nitwit
- ratbag
- featherbrain
- scamp
- rascal
- half-wit
- dum-dum
- clot
- scatterbrain
- yo-yo
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- whiz
- brain
- genius
- sage
- wizard
- intellectual
- thinker
- brainiac
gawk
2 of 2verb
as in to stare
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise couldn't help gawking at the exotically dressed guests in the hotel lobby Synonyms & Similar Words
- stare
- gaze
- gape
- gawp
- rubberneck
- peer
- ogle
- glare
- goggle
- blink
- watch
- gloat
- glower
- leer
- peruse
- fixate
- eye
- observe
- stare down
- outstare
- study
- outface
- consider
- regard
- pore (over)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- glimpse
- glance
- peek
- scan
- peep
- browse
- dip (into)
- wink (at)