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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 stared
Pino stared down Adams after cross-examination — and Adams stared back at him.
—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Dick gave a whinny and stared at the water.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Three of the four arrived soberly dressed, one of them, Hodgkin, in a black suit, folded his arms and stared glumly ahead.
—
Robin Muir,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
My wife stared at the broken cup for a while without saying a word.
—
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Layne stared for a long time at the reflection pools there.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
Wemby, along with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, stared at the crasher in seeming shock before security restrained him, and he was led off the court.
—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
In response, Ellerbe’s attacker simply stared at her.
—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
2 June 2026
Femi marched into the ring as Lesnar stared on in shock.
—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Dick gave a whinny and stared at the water.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Three of the four arrived soberly dressed, one of them, Hodgkin, in a black suit, folded his arms and stared glumly ahead.
—
Robin Muir,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
My wife stared at the broken cup for a while without saying a word.
—
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Layne stared for a long time at the reflection pools there.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
Wemby, along with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, stared at the crasher in seeming shock before security restrained him, and he was led off the court.
—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
In response, Ellerbe’s attacker simply stared at her.
—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
2 June 2026
Femi marched into the ring as Lesnar stared on in shock.
—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stared
Verb
-
En route from the airport, his mother gazed out of the window, apparently rapt by these strange surroundings.
-
Were the children subjected to the marshmallow test allowed to pursue such gratifying delights, or would merely touching the treats have demonstrated their surrender to short-termism, causing the psychologist who gazed at them through a peephole to return, disappointed?
Verb
-
Locals complained tourist gawked at them or traipsed through their yards.
-
Onlookers gawked from the balconies of nearby condo towers.
Verb
-
Syl’s daughter, GiGi, her first-born, peered through the living room window, which looked out onto their small front lawn.
-
Science luminaries including Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Carl Sagan once peered through the vintage telescopes housed in the domed observatory towers.
Cite this Entry
“Stared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stared. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
