gawk

Meaning

Noun

1. A cuckoo; (sometimes by extension) any gawky bird.
2. A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy person.

Verb

1. To stare or gape stupidly.
2. To stare conspicuously.
3. (colloquial, vulgar) To suck.

Synonyms

gape

goggle

stare

gawp

rubberneck

lubber

gaze

clod

lump

goon

lout

lummox

oaf

cuckoo

stumblebum

gaper

gaze at

glare

goose

🪿

half-wit

klutz

loafer

look

loon

moron

mug

nincompoop

ninny

nitwit

ogle

palooka

schlep

see

👀

sideboard

simpleton

stand gaping

take in

shlep

turkey

twit

wally

watch

⌚

weenie

widen

goofball

gubbins

open wide

stupid person

maladroit person

schlepper

Translations

aangapen

béer

embasbacar-se

dom kijken

badauder

gapen

bayer aux corneilles

Tölpel

ficar boquiaberto

anglotzen

ver

👀

badar

glotzen

bobo

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɡɔːk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: gowke

Cognate with Danish: gøg

Cognate with Swedish: gök

Cognate with German: Gauch

Cognate with Old English: ġēac

Cognate with French: gauche

Cognate with English: gawky

In summary

From a variant of gowk, from Middle English gowke, goke, from Old Norse gaukr (“cuckoo”), from Proto-Germanic *gaukaz (“cuckoo”). Cognate with Danish gøg, Swedish gök, German Gauch, Old English ġēac.
Compare also French gauche, and English gawky and gallock.