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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Gape \Gape\ (g[aum]p; in Eng, commonly g[=a]p; 277), verb (used without an object) [imp. & p. p. {Gaped} (g[aum]pt or g[=a]pt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Gaping}] [OE. gapen, AS. geapan to open; akin to D. gapen to gape, G. gaffen, Icel. & Sw. gapa, Dan. gabe; cf. Skr. jabh to snap at, open the mouth. Cf. {Gaby}, {Gap}.]
1. To open the mouth wide; as: (a) Expressing a desire for food; as, young birds gape. --Dryden. (b) Indicating sleepiness or indifference; to yawn.
She stretches, gapes, unglues her eyes, And asks if it be time to rise. --Swift. (c) Showing unselfconsciousness in surprise, astonishment, expectation, etc.
With gaping wonderment had stared aghast. --Byron. (d) Manifesting a desire to injure, devour, or overcome.
They have gaped upon me with their mouth. --Job xvi. 10.
2. To open or part widely; to exhibit a gap, fissure, or hiatus.
May that ground gape and swallow me alive! --Shak.
3. To long, wait eagerly, or cry aloud for something; -- with for, after, or at.
The hungry grave for her due tribute gapes. --Denham.
Syn: To gaze; stare; yawn. See {Gaze}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
gaping
adjective: with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe; "the gaping audience"; "we stood there agape with wonder"; "with mouth agape" [syn: {agape(p)}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
117 Moby Thesaurus words for "gaping": abysmal, abyssal, agape, aghast, agog, ajar, all agog, amazed, anticipant, anticipating, anticipative, anticipatory, astonished, astounded, at gaze, awaiting, awed, awestruck, beguiled, bewildered, bewitched, bottomless, breathless, captivated, cavernous, certain, chinky, cleft, cloven, confident, confounded, cracked, cut, deep as hell, dehiscence, dehiscent, dumbfounded, dumbstruck, eager, enchanted, enraptured, enravished, enthralled, entranced, expectant, expecting, fascinated, fathomless, fissured, fissury, flabbergasted, forearmed, forestalling, forewarned, gape, gappy, gauping, gazing, hopeful, hypnotized, in anticipation, in awe, in awe of, in expectation, looking for, looking forward to, lost in wonder, marveling, mesmerized, not surprised, open-eyed, openmouthed, optimistic, oscitancy, oscitant, oscitation, overwhelmed, pandiculation, plumbless, plunging, popeyed, prepared, puzzled, rapt in wonder, ready, rent, rift, rimose, rimulose, ringent, sanguine, slack-jawed, slit, soundless, spellbound, split, staggered, staring, stupefied, sure, surprised, the gapes, thunderstruck, under a charm, unfathomable, unfathomed, unsounded, unsurprised, waiting, waiting for, watching for, wide-eyed, without bottom, wonder-struck, wondering, yawn, yawning
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