onlooker

noun

on·​look·​er ˈȯn-ˌlu̇-kər 

ˈän-

: one that looks on

especially : a passive spectator

onlooking

ˈȯn-ˌlu̇-kiŋ 

ˈän-

adjective

Synonyms of onlooker

• observer
• spectator
• viewer

Examples of onlooker in a Sentence

Curious onlookers watched the ceremony.

An onlooker noticed the disturbance.

A crowd of onlookers gathered at the fire.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sleek, gold-colored coupé impressed with a futuristic design, but baffled onlookers with its cramped two-seat interior, lack of a charging port, and a dubious, far-too-good-to-be-true $30,000 price tag. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 10 Sep. 2026

In 1935, Rubin Stacy, a Black farmworker, was lynched as a horde of white onlookers stood by. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2026

As a young and impressionable onlooker, Dzeko looked huge (at 6ft 4in/193cm) yet so graceful on the ball. — Amitai Winehouse, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

All the reshuffling is enough to leave an onlooker shook — or, in the case of the New Orleans Saints, Shough. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for onlooker

• booker
• cooker
• looker
• rooker
• snooker

Kids Definition

onlooker

noun

on·​look·​er ˈȯn-ˌlu̇k-ər 

ˈän-

: spectator