Gaping vs. Staring

Gapingadjective

Wide open.

‘There’s a gaping hole in the fence.’;

Staringverb

present participle of stare

Gapingnoun

The act of one who gapes.

Staringnoun

The act of one who stares.

Gapingnoun

Something gaping; something agape.

Staringadjective

(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder;

‘staring eyes’;

Gapingnoun

A threat or courtship behavior in animals involving holding the mouth open and displaying the teeth or other interior features.

Staringadjective

without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers;

‘an arrant fool’; ‘a complete coward’; ‘a consummate fool’; ‘a double-dyed villain’; ‘gross negligence’; ‘a perfect idiot’; ‘pure folly’; ‘what a sodding mess’; ‘stark staring mad’; ‘a thoroughgoing villain’; ‘utter nonsense’;

Gapingadjective

with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe;

‘the gaping audience’; ‘we stood there agape with wonder’; ‘with mouth agape’;

Staringadverb

with a stare;

‘`quoi?' asked Blanchard, staring’;

Staring

Staring is a prolonged gaze or fixed look. In staring, one object or person is the continual focus of visual interest, for an amount of time.