as in spectators
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
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Recent Examples of onlookers
Cryer is similarly observant toward Sheen’s extended public meltdown, an early inflection point in the social media era in which onlookers got an exhilarating blow-by-blow of one man’s downward spiral.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
For two days, climbers and onlookers gathered around a 45-foot wall—an ephemeral monument suspended above water—where the edges between sport, spectacle, and cultural communion blurred.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
According to onlookers, the Wicked star was bopping along the entire set.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The onlookers got the chance to see one of the defining features of the whales — the lower right white jaw, the group said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
To counter this dynamic, Newhouse thinks lawmakers, those in charge of news coverage, and even interested onlookers should redirect attention away from individual perpetrators.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Some onlookers, on the other hand, viewed Schill's ability to strike a deal with protesters as a successful model of negotiation.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Some 26 world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, joined Xi Jinping as onlookers.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
For two days, climbers and onlookers gathered around a 45-foot wall—an ephemeral monument suspended above water—where the edges between sport, spectacle, and cultural communion blurred.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
According to onlookers, the Wicked star was bopping along the entire set.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The onlookers got the chance to see one of the defining features of the whales — the lower right white jaw, the group said.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
To counter this dynamic, Newhouse thinks lawmakers, those in charge of news coverage, and even interested onlookers should redirect attention away from individual perpetrators.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Some onlookers, on the other hand, viewed Schill's ability to strike a deal with protesters as a successful model of negotiation.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Some 26 world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, joined Xi Jinping as onlookers.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onlookers
Noun
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Just one week after wowing spectators at the US Open with her dominating and inspiring tennis skills, Coco Gauff shifted her razor-sharp focus to her other passion—fashion.—
Paul Chi,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The roughly 680-mile-wide (1,090 kilometers) dwarf planet would pass in front of the background star at an angle visible only to observers in northern Canada and other parts of the Arctic during daylight hours.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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October is also a peak month for displays of the Northern Lights; if geomagnetic activity is high, some observers at northern latitudes may also see the comet amid auroras.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The league averaged 221,000 viewers throughout the season, including its playoffs, while the championship game between Rose BC and Vinyl BC drew 364,000 viewers and peaked at 385,000.—
Roberta F. Rodrigues,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Belly is a sweet everygirl upon whom viewers can seamlessly project, but as my colleague Elise Taylor astutely argued, her identity is all too bound up in the Fisher brothers.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Onlookers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onlookers. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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