gawk

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

gawk, n. [OE. gok, gowk, cuckoo, fool, Icel. gaukr cuckoo; akin to OHG. gouh, G. gauch cuckoo, fool, AS. géac cuckoo, Sw. gök, Dan. giög].

•  A cuckoo.  Johnson.  [1913 Webster]
•  A simpleton; a booby; a gawky.  Carlyle.  [1913 Webster]

gawk, v. i. 

•  To act like a gawky.  [1913 Webster]
•  To stare with empty-minded fascination; to stare stupidly; to gape; -- usually used with at.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

gawk, v. & n.
--v.intr. colloq. stare stupidly.
--n. an awkward or bashful person.

Derivative

gawkish adj.

Etymology

rel. to obs. gaw gaze f. ON g{aacute} heed

THESAURUS

gawk

ass, be amazed, be astonished, be curious, blockhead, blunderer, blunderhead, boor, bore, botcher, bumbler, bumpkin, bungler, burn with curiosity, churl, clod, clodhopper, clodknocker, clot, clown, crane, crane the neck, dig around for, dig up, dolt, dunderhead, dunderpate, eye, fool, fumbler, galoot, gape, gaup, gawky, gaze, gaze open-mouthed, glare, gloat, goggle, gowk, hayseed, hick, ignoramus, inquire, interrogate, klutz, lobster, looby, look, lout, lubber, lug, lummox, lump, marvel, ninny, nose around for, nose out, oaf, ogle, ox, palooka, peer, query, question, quiz, rubber, rubberneck, rube, seek, simpleton, slouch, slubberer, stand aghast, stand on tiptoe, stare, stare at, stare down, stare hard, stare openmouthed, want to know, wonder, yokel

ROGET THESAURUS

gawk

Spectator

VB witness, behold, look on, gawk, rubber, rubberneck.

Fool

N fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling, dizzard, donkey, ass, ninny, ninnyhammer, chowderhead, chucklehead, dolt, booby, Tom Noddy, looby, hoddy-doddy, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy, owl, goose, goosecap, imbecile, gaby, radoteur, nincompoop, badaud, zany, trifler, babbler, pretty fellow, natural, niais, child, baby, infant, innocent, milksop, sop, oaf, lout, loon, lown, dullard, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, put, stick, stock, numps, tony, bull head, dunderhead, addlehead, blockhead, dullhead, loggerhead, jolthead, jolterhead, beetlehead, beetlebrain, grosshead, muttonhead, noodlehead, giddyhead, numbskull, thickskull, lackbrain, shallowbrain, dimwit, halfwit, lackwit, dunderpate, lunkhead sawney, gowk, clod, clod-hopper, clod-poll, clot-poll, clot-pate, bull calf, gawk, Gothamite, lummox, rube, men of Boeotia, wise men of Gotham, un sot a triple etage, sot, jobbernowl, changeling, mooncalf, gobemouche, dotard, driveler, old fogey, old woman, crock, crone, grandmother, cotquean, henhussy, incompetent (insanity), greenhorn, dunce, lubber, madman, one who will not set the Thames on fire, one who did not invent gunpowder, qui n'a pas invente' la poudre, no conjuror, fortuna favet fatuis, les fous font les festinas et les sages les mangen, nomina stultorum parietibus harrent, stultorum plena sunt omnia.