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
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
Everyone stared in silence at the man’s rudeness.
—Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
The two stared each other down with security guards in between them.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Malukas leaned into his girlfriend’s embrace, then sat on the pit wall and stared across the track.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 24 May 2026
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
Everyone stared in silence at the man’s rudeness.
—Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
The two stared each other down with security guards in between them.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Malukas leaned into his girlfriend’s embrace, then sat on the pit wall and stared across the track.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stared
Verb
-
Parts of what was once open fine alpine grassland, which Tibetans call pangtang where herders moved freely and gazed across the boundless horizon, are now covered by dense rows of solar panels.—
Sanggay Tashi,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
-
In a few photos, the pair gazed into each other's eyes with warm, affectionate expressions.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
6 June 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
-
Science luminaries including Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Carl Sagan once peered through the vintage telescopes housed in the domed observatory towers.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
-
Outside a nearby auto-parts shop, a man in camouflage pants and Crocs peered at his truck’s engine.—
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stared. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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