as in observer
someone who sees or watches something several onlookers gave chase after the thief grabbed the woman's purse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of onlooker There’s Maye, who continues to leave onlookers no option but to believe his Year 2 leap is real and spectacular. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025 Images published by The Sun show police officers and investigators in high-visibility vests inspecting the area as onlookers gathered nearby. Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025 Jurors, journalists and scores of public onlookers obsessively dissected the case. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025 As Lomaland grew, more attention was drawn to Theosophical ideas, and speculation from onlookers was heightened. Madison Beveridge, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for onlooker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onlooker
Noun
  • Another key question observers inside and outside China increasingly are asking – will Xi take a fourth term as leader of the party, the military and the state, thus further busting norms?
    Deirdre Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The upside to this dilemma is that despite the tighter supply, the Farm Bureau economists and other industry observers do not expect a major turkey shortage for this holiday season.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The ban also includes using smokeless tobacco products in bathrooms, pedestrian walkways, dining spaces, spectator seating areas, training rooms, playing fields, locker rooms and vendor areas, according to the ordinance.
    Dana Afana, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The two styles include an all-black version and a black-and-white spectator colorway, priced at $245 and $275 respectively.
    Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Since there was no elimination last week, viewer votes from Dedication Night and Wicked Night were combined with the judges’ scores from both nights to determine the couple sent home.
    Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Given last year's halftime show drawing over 127 million viewers, Bad Bunny may not need to lose sleep over 50,000 signees calling for his replacement.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Onlooker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onlooker. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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