LOOKING ON Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

looking on

verb

present participle of look on

as in staring

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for looking on

Verb

Before ChatGPT came on the scene, chipmakers were staring at a post-COVID chip glut.

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Taken roughly two decades after her prison ordeal, the image reveals a still formidable figure, a woman unbroken by countless trials, staring straight into the camera’s lens.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of staring

Verb

Frequent elections, impatient constituents and the unrelenting pressure of the news cycle do not provide rewards for gazing into crystal balls or enacting visionary policies whose benefits may only be evident years later.

— John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Calvo, meanwhile, sits at a desk in his hotel room, gazing into the camera lens placidly while idly sketching on a sheet of paper.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of gazing

Verb

Depending on the machine and settings, that material ends up in a purge tower built alongside the print, or in a collection of little plastic doll's-house-looking spaghetti balls, affectionately known as printer poop.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
Yet his next leadership election is looking smooth compared with the past couple of bouts to lead the Senate GOP.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of looking

Verb

That year, Advance withdrew two property tax measures that would have cut taxes and blown gaping holes in government budgets after reaching a deal with state officials that resulted in another special session delivering property tax relief.

— Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
The bay facing the western shore of Newfoundland is the mouth—the gaping estuary—of the Saint Lawrence, Newfoundland on the chart detached and apparently drifting out to sea.

— Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of gaping

Verb

The film opens with Tenzing as a boy, gawking at Mount Everest, which looms across the valley like Godzilla.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
On most days the Jewel House in the Tower of London is packed with tourists gawking at the fabled British Crown Jewels.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of gawking

Verb

Seattle's offensive woes also were glaring on third down, with Seattle converting just three times in 14 tries against Denver.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
The absence of Tom Hagen is glaring, as is the loss of Sonny Corleone, whose death in the original film deprived the third installment of another defining character from the Corleone family.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of glaring

Verb

That video appears to show a black bear standing on top of a garbage truck and peering over the edge, but does not show how the bear got there or escaped the situation.

— Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2026
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, a crowd had gathered, and even Carmen Machi (who received the National Film Award at this festival) was peering out from the hotel’s rooftop.

— Amaia Odriozola, Vanity Fair, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of peering

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.

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“Looking on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/looking%20on. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of looking on

verb

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