gawk

[gawk]

verb (used without object)

1. to stare stupidly; gape.

   The onlookers gawked at arriving celebrities.

   Synonyms: rubberneck, goggle, gaze, ogle, peer

noun

1. an awkward, foolish person.

gawk

/ ɡɔːk /

noun

1. a clumsy stupid person; lout

verb

1. (intr) to stare in a stupid way; gape

Word History and Origins

Origin of gawk¹

1775–85; apparently representing OE word meaning fool, equivalent to ga(gol) foolish + -oc -ock; used attributively in gawk hand, gallock hand left hand

Word History and Origins

Origin of gawk¹

C18: from Old Danish gaukr; probably related to _gape

Example Sentences

“We were also used to having protection; now anyone can just come in and gawk.”

From Los Angeles Times

But whether spectators were there to pay their respects to someone they admired or to gawk at the cortège for another one of Hollywood’s dead blondes is its own question.

From Salon

Some tourists are just people on vacation there to gawk, while others are influencers there for content.

From Los Angeles Times

Normally closed to the public, these inspiring gardens have a lot to gawk at.

From Los Angeles Times

The explosion happens in slow motion, allowing viewers to gawk at all of DeYoung’s shrewdly constructed, cinematic shrapnel.

From Salon

Related Words

• gape 
• glare 
• ogle 

When To Use

Where does the word gawk come from?

We've all gawked, or "stared stupidly," at various spectacles, from acrobats to celebrity meltdowns.Word nerds gawk at the origin of gawk—because it's a spectacular puzzle.Gawk is recorded in 1775–85 in American English. It's believed that gawk is based on an Old English word meaning "fool," which appears in gawk hand or gallock hand, referring to the left hand. Our apologies, lefties.An alternative idea is that gawk is based on gaw, an old word meaning "to gaze, stare," with an additional -k suffix found in other words such as talk and stalk.Stubborn isn’t alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."