as in gazed
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
her friends stared in disbelief upon seeing her walking arm in arm with her ex-husband
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Recent Examples of stared
After the photo opportunity, the girls stared at Minnie with Bennett taking a particular interest in the Disney character’s glam look.
—
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
Perhaps this is the first time the group stared into the rearview mirror to think about something akin to a greatest hits set.
—Daniel Dylan Wray, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Randy Johnson stared into the eyes of Christy Mathewson.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The canine, clearly confused, stared up, visibly bewildered and waiting patiently for the affection to finally land.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Some members of Massey's family, including her mother, were escorted out of the courtroom in tears, but her father, James Wilburn, sat in the back for the entire video and stared straight ahead.
—Selina Guevara, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
Passersby stared as billows of smoke rose into the air above the White House as part of the home shared by the United States president and his family crumbled to the ground.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Here was an artist who had stared death in the face and lived to write reasonably well about it.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The Ganzes got back on the road and made it to Missouri, stopping at a gas station where Rachel noticed a sign about a missing pet pony and pointed it out to Jon, who stared at it without saying anything.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
Perhaps this is the first time the group stared into the rearview mirror to think about something akin to a greatest hits set.
—Daniel Dylan Wray, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2025
Randy Johnson stared into the eyes of Christy Mathewson.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The canine, clearly confused, stared up, visibly bewildered and waiting patiently for the affection to finally land.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Some members of Massey's family, including her mother, were escorted out of the courtroom in tears, but her father, James Wilburn, sat in the back for the entire video and stared straight ahead.
—Selina Guevara, NBC news, 22 Oct. 2025
Passersby stared as billows of smoke rose into the air above the White House as part of the home shared by the United States president and his family crumbled to the ground.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Here was an artist who had stared death in the face and lived to write reasonably well about it.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
The Ganzes got back on the road and made it to Missouri, stopping at a gas station where Rachel noticed a sign about a missing pet pony and pointed it out to Jon, who stared at it without saying anything.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stared
Verb
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That means by the end of 2030, the iconic ISS – where the world's astronauts have lived, worked and gazed upon the cosmos for more than two decades – will be no more.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Indeed, this is a coffee table book that’s meant to be savored and not just gazed at.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Drilling for progress As the rest of us gawked at Maye’s pinpoint accuracy on his 55-yard completion to Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter of last Sunday’s win — the longest of his career — Maye’s position coach smiled for a different reason.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Leadville’s main street, where small businesses are housed inside colorful brick buildings that date back 150 years, some spectators peered down from second- and third-floor windows; others stood on flat roofs.—
Cari Shane,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
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At the door, a man in a shiny blue suit and eyeglasses forged from some fragile-looking but probably indestructible mineral whose extraction shapes contemporary geoeconomics said hello, peered over my shoulder.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stared. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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