as in gazing
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 staring
Up on their hind legs, sitting around me, staring at me.
—
Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
After staring at the dog for 90 seconds, Green went back into his apartment and then threw a cutting board at the dog.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Her career is filled with the kinds of on-the-ground adventures that should inspire plenty of wide-eyed journalism students who haven’t yet realized how much of the job is just staring at laptop screens.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
Rather, the eight top-polling Democrats seem to be in a children’s game, sitting in a circle staring at each other, waiting for someone to blink.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The New York Knicks’ starting lineup may have been staring at the final straw that could break the camel’s back late in Monday’s nail-biter against the Atlanta Hawks.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The whole allure of staring death in the face on film wasn’t born in the ’70s, of course.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
Some with furtive glances, some outright staring.
—Ben Mezrich, Vanity Fair, 6 Apr. 2026
Joan and Lynn were staring at Louise with entirely blank expressions.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
After staring at the dog for 90 seconds, Green went back into his apartment and then threw a cutting board at the dog.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Her career is filled with the kinds of on-the-ground adventures that should inspire plenty of wide-eyed journalism students who haven’t yet realized how much of the job is just staring at laptop screens.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
Rather, the eight top-polling Democrats seem to be in a children’s game, sitting in a circle staring at each other, waiting for someone to blink.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The New York Knicks’ starting lineup may have been staring at the final straw that could break the camel’s back late in Monday’s nail-biter against the Atlanta Hawks.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The whole allure of staring death in the face on film wasn’t born in the ’70s, of course.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
Some with furtive glances, some outright staring.
—Ben Mezrich, Vanity Fair, 6 Apr. 2026
Joan and Lynn were staring at Louise with entirely blank expressions.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staring
Verb
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Additional photos showed the couple sharing their first kiss as newlyweds, exchanging wedding rings and the two gazing lovingly at each other as a wedding officiant stood between them.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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With the city’s famous landmark, Christ the Redeemer, gazing down on the fleet in Guanabara Bay, skipper Taylor Canfield had the Americans in solid position after one day of racing.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those are important characteristics for advertisers seeking to make dynamic campaigns for an audience that's grown accustomed to viewing short-form videos on Reels or gawking at cat photos on Facebook and Instagram.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
-
On a typical day, the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale reverberates with animal cries and the footfalls of gawking visitors.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staring. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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