gawk
/ɡɔːk
/verb [no object]
Stare openly and stupidly: they were gawking at some pin-up...
- Most of them were trying to be clandestine about it, but a few were openly pointing and gawking.
- The door opened and a sailor stepped inside, openly gawking at our still wet clothes.
- Already, he could see the stares and could almost hear the whispers as his classmates openly gawked at him.
Synonyms
gape, goggle, gaze, ogle, stare, stare stupidly, stare open-mouthed, stare in wonder, look fixedly, look vacantly
informal rubberneck
British informal gawp
noun
An awkward or shy person: let those country gawks dance to their hearts' content...
- It's nice to think there was a time when I was small and cute and didn't list disturbingly between being a lanky gawk and an oafish lump.
Derivatives
gawker
/ noun ...- It's a hard place to miss, especially with all the gawkers rubbernecking for any celebrities from the lower floors.
- For the first few weeks, I avoided the site primarily because I didn't think the police and firefighters workers needed any more gawkers getting in their way.
- Naturally, gawkers lined up 10 deep in front of the club.
gawkish
- Even if he leaned down it would look gawkish and awkward.
- But its narrow shoulders and gawkish legs implied it was a boy of only twelve, perhaps thirteen at best.
- His audience can relate to gawkish tales of teenage fumbling, and his audience will grow.
Origin
Late 17th century (as a noun): perhaps related to obsolete gaw 'to gaze', from Old Norse gá 'heed'.