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
Ramzan looked to her, pleading, but Sakeena’s eyes only stared into their reflection on the glass patio door.
—
Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
The Nuggets stared into the eyes of a pack of Wolves, and blinked.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
The horse practically stared the trainer in the eye, conveying a message that Baffert immediately interpreted.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
For a few seconds, everyone at Progressive Field — players, umpires, fans, cotton candy vendors — stared at the video board, awaiting the handy diagram that would determine whether the Cleveland Guardians’ lead was in jeopardy.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Chasing Horse, wearing his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, stared straight ahead as victims read their statements.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Variety previously reported that the Michael film's original script included one scene in which Michael stared at himself in the mirror, capturing his gaze as police car lights flashed behind him, in 1993, just after the singer was accused of child molestation.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
His team stared at four large vertical monitors.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Anyone who has ever stared at a blank page knows that getting from idea to finished manuscript is the hard part.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
The Nuggets stared into the eyes of a pack of Wolves, and blinked.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
The horse practically stared the trainer in the eye, conveying a message that Baffert immediately interpreted.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
For a few seconds, everyone at Progressive Field — players, umpires, fans, cotton candy vendors — stared at the video board, awaiting the handy diagram that would determine whether the Cleveland Guardians’ lead was in jeopardy.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Chasing Horse, wearing his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, stared straight ahead as victims read their statements.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Variety previously reported that the Michael film's original script included one scene in which Michael stared at himself in the mirror, capturing his gaze as police car lights flashed behind him, in 1993, just after the singer was accused of child molestation.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
His team stared at four large vertical monitors.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Anyone who has ever stared at a blank page knows that getting from idea to finished manuscript is the hard part.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stared
Verb
-
In failing to meaningfully contend with its context, the show veers dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of notorious exhibitions that flatten non-Western artworks into objects meant to be gazed upon.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
4 May 2026
-
Rubin-Vega gazed toward the under-stairs entrance to her former apartment.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Locals complained tourist gawked at them or traipsed through their yards.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Onlookers gawked from the balconies of nearby condo towers.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Squad cars from other departments in nearby suburbs and the Illinois State Police sat in traffic crawling north on Sheridan as neighbors peered up the street from in front of their high-rises.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Soon after the lockdown alarm blared through the school, a group of teachers in a teacher’s lounge peered out into the hallway and spotted a student near the library.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stared. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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