gaping
adj.adj. describing a hole or an opening that is very wide and deep. You often use this to describe a large wound or a wide-open mouth.
adj. characterised by a wide, deep, or cavernous opening. Often used to describe physical apertures, wounds, or facial expressions of shock.
The hiker carefully avoided the gaping hole in the middle of the path.
The earthquake left a gaping crack in the highway that made the road completely impassable for emergency vehicles.
The protagonist stood before the gaping entrance of the cavern, feeling a mixture of primal dread and intense curiosity about the secrets hidden within its depths.
From Middle English gaping, gapynge, variants of Middle English gapand, gapande, equivalent to gape + -ing.
From Middle English gapynge, equivalent to gape + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Typically used attributively before a noun; frequently collocates with 'hole', 'wound', or 'mouth'.
Last updated May 7, 2026