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
When the guilty verdict was announced, Dale Warner stared at the floor and shook his head in apparent disbelief, reported The Daily Telegram, part of the USA TODAY Network.
—
Corey J. Murray, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Virginia stared its disappointment dead in the eye in the offseason, channeling it to fuel a run to the school’s first national championship.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Balat stared ahead at the defense table.
—Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
But now students really stared.
—Deanna Kizis, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
One morning this fall, on a stubbly brown field in Boulder, a glider pilot named Dan Swenson stared up at the sky and shook his head.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Jürgen stared at me, not quite sure what to say next.
—Roger Bennett, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
The president stared at me for a long moment and drew out his words for emphasis.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
Brown sprinted to Parker’s bench, stared at the Mission Hills football players and brought her right index finger to her lips.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Corey J. Murray, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Virginia stared its disappointment dead in the eye in the offseason, channeling it to fuel a run to the school’s first national championship.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Balat stared ahead at the defense table.
—Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
But now students really stared.
—Deanna Kizis, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
One morning this fall, on a stubbly brown field in Boulder, a glider pilot named Dan Swenson stared up at the sky and shook his head.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Jürgen stared at me, not quite sure what to say next.
—Roger Bennett, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
The president stared at me for a long moment and drew out his words for emphasis.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
Brown sprinted to Parker’s bench, stared at the Mission Hills football players and brought her right index finger to her lips.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stared
Verb
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The man gazed at Wilkes, whose expression went from exasperation to shock.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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The Too Much actress gazed at the camera while sitting on a velvet couch, her white bathrobe strategically arranged to add some subtle coverage to the intimate photo.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Still, other Coppin State runners gawked at his broad chest, bulging biceps and thick quads.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
-
They’re presented as endearing surprises of nature and life, celebrated rather than gawked at.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Ballantyne got out of bed and peered through the cabin window.—
Francesca Street,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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Shaping tissues requires forces — that much has been obvious to the physicists who have peered down microscopes for almost as long as biologists have.—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stared. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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