diff --git a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
index d387abb92e..86f3ba1070 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
@@ -2194,7 +2194,8 @@ exec " gcc-bin "/" program
        #:implicit-inputs? #f
        #:guile ,%bootstrap-guile
        #:strip-binaries? #f
-       #:validate-runpath? #f))))
+       #:validate-runpath? #f
+       ,@(package-arguments gawk)))))
 
 (define patch-boot0
   (package
diff --git a/gnu/packages/gawk.scm b/gnu/packages/gawk.scm
index 6223fd0273..d87afdb4ef 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/gawk.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/gawk.scm
@@ -41,13 +41,13 @@
 (define-public gawk
   (package
    (name "gawk")
-   (version "5.3.0")
+   (version "5.3.2")
    (source (origin
             (method url-fetch)
             (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/gawk/gawk-" version
                                 ".tar.xz"))
             (sha256
-             (base32 "02x97iyl9v84as4rkdrrkfk2j4vy4r3hpp3rkp3gh3qxs79id76a"))))
+             (base32 "1k699kfajwzw4dyw1m9h9kld1gdv00nfy04b2f952w6y15jlihzq"))))
    (build-system gnu-build-system)
    (arguments
     (list #:phases
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
                 (lambda* (#:key inputs #:allow-other-keys)
                   ;; Refer to the right shell.
                   (let ((/bin/sh (search-input-file inputs "bin/sh")))
-                    (substitute* "io.c"
+                    (substitute* '("io.c" "builtin.c")
                       (("/bin/sh") /bin/sh))
 
                     ;; When cross-compiling, remove dependencies on the
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
                   ;; Remove dependency on 'more' (from util-linux), which
                   ;; would needlessly complicate bootstrapping.
                   (substitute* "test/Makefile"
-                    (("\\| more") ""))
+                    (("\\| \\$\\$\\{PAGER:-more\\}") ""))
 
                   ;; Adjust the shebang in that file since it is then diff'd
                   ;; against the actual test output.
diff --git a/gnu/packages/patches/gawk-shell.patch b/gnu/packages/patches/gawk-shell.patch
index 46ca5e451f..0fe3e14a2b 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/patches/gawk-shell.patch
+++ b/gnu/packages/patches/gawk-shell.patch
@@ -2,9 +2,20 @@ As for libc's `system', change Awk to look for `sh' in $PATH.  This patch is
 only meant to be used during bootstrapping, where we don't know in advance the
 absolute file name of `sh'.
 
---- gawk-4.1.3/io.c	2015-05-19 15:37:20.000000000 +0200
-+++ gawk-4.1.3/io.c	2015-06-09 18:39:36.918414881 +0200
-@@ -2025,7 +2025,7 @@
+--- gawk-5.3.2/builtin.c
++++ gawk-5.3.2/builtin.c
+@@ -3341,7 +3341,7 @@ gawk_system(const char *command)
+ 	if ((childpid = fork()) == 0) {
+ 		// child
+ 		set_sigpipe_to_default();
+-		execl("/bin/sh", "sh", "-c", command, NULL);
++		execlp("sh", "sh", "-c", command, NULL);
+ 		_exit(errno == ENOENT ? 127 : 126);
+ 	} else {
+ 		// parent
+--- gawk-5.3.2/io.c
++++ gawk-5.3.2/io.c
+@@ -2084,7 +2084,7 @@ fork_and_open_slave_pty(const char *slavenam, int master, const char *command, p
  
  		set_sigpipe_to_default();
  
@@ -13,7 +24,7 @@ absolute file name of `sh'.
  		_exit(errno == ENOENT ? 127 : 126);
  
  	case -1:
-@@ -2077,7 +2077,7 @@
+@@ -2136,7 +2136,7 @@ fork_and_open_slave_pty(const char *slavenam, int master, const char *command, p
  
  		signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_DFL);
  
@@ -22,21 +33,30 @@ absolute file name of `sh'.
  		_exit(errno == ENOENT ? 127 : 126);
  
  	case -1:
-@@ -2422,7 +2422,7 @@
- 			fatal(_("close of pipe failed (%s)"), strerror(errno));
+@@ -2475,7 +2475,7 @@ use_pipes:
+ 			fatal(_("close of pipe failed: %s"), strerror(errno));
  		/* stderr does NOT get dup'ed onto child's stdout */
  		set_sigpipe_to_default();
 -		execl("/bin/sh", "sh", "-c", str, NULL);
 +		execlp("sh", "sh", "-c", str, NULL);
  		_exit(errno == ENOENT ? 127 : 126);
  	}
- #endif /* NOT __EMX__, NOT __MINGW32__ */
-@@ -2659,7 +2659,7 @@
+ #endif /* NOT __MINGW32__ */
+@@ -2706,7 +2706,7 @@ gawk_popen(const char *cmd, struct redirect *rp)
  		if (close(p[0]) == -1 || close(p[1]) == -1)
- 			fatal(_("close of pipe failed (%s)"), strerror(errno));
+ 			fatal(_("close of pipe failed: %s"), strerror(errno));
  		set_sigpipe_to_default();
 -		execl("/bin/sh", "sh", "-c", cmd, NULL);
 +		execlp("sh", "sh", "-c", cmd, NULL);
  		_exit(errno == ENOENT ? 127 : 126);
  	}
- #endif /* NOT __EMX__, NOT __MINGW32__ */
+ #endif /* NOT __MINGW32__ */
+@@ -4642,7 +4642,7 @@ gawk_popen_write(const char *cmd)
+ 			fatal(_("gawk_popen_write: failed to move pipe fd to standard input"));
+ 		(void) close(pipefds[0]);
+ 		set_sigpipe_to_default();
+-		execl("/bin/sh", "sh", "-c", cmd, NULL);
++		execlp("sh", "sh", "-c", cmd, NULL);
+ 		_exit(errno == ENOENT ? 127 : 126);
+ 	} else if (childpid < 0) {
+ 		(void) close(pipefds[0]);