spectate

verb

spec·​tate ˈspek-ˌtāt How to pronounce spectate (audio)
spectated; spectating

intransitive verb

: to be present as a spectator (as at a sports event)

Examples of spectate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rear Window then feeds on our complex fascination with the human instinct to spectate, and neither Jeff nor the audience comes away completely innocent. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Apr. 2026 Players eventually stopped spectating and went about their work. Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026 This time around, López was limited to spectating — he was supposed to pitch before suffering a season-ending elbow injury — as Venezuela lost the lead and then regained it in the ninth inning to beat the United States for its first WBC title. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026 My agonizing over a coin toss illustrates the basic distortion that gambling exerts on spectating. Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spectate

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from spectator

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spectate was in 1858

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spectate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.

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