STARING Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

staring

verb

present participle of stare

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 staring So, sometimes silence and solitude is necessary, and just like sitting on a plane watching nothing, doing nothing, just staring blankly at … it's called raw-dogging a flight. —

Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026 According to the criminal complaint in that case, a woman at a coffee shop drive-thru reported seeing a man, later identified as Trepanier, at the back of the building with his pants down and masturbating while staring at her. —

Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026 Her friend hurried over, not to look up, but to look down — both of them staring at a glowing screen while, just beyond them, Crux was visible in the night sky. —

Jamie Carter, Space.com, 8 May 2026 John said, staring straight ahead and not looking at Maggie. —

Literary Hub, 8 May 2026 Experts at the American Meteor Society recommend staring directly at the shower, as meteors can streak across any part of the sky. —

Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026 Inning after inning, the staring contest continued. —

Gabrielle Starr, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026 In the few minutes that Jalen Brunson isn’t on the court, the New York Knick guard is often staring at an iPad. —

James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 3 May 2026 Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing. —

Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for staring

Verb

Other communities, such as Malibu, have developed ordinances to reduce glare and artificial light, as has Joshua Tree National Park, a star-gazing haven that is designated an International Dark Sky Park.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Or, if you'd rather be cocooned in greenery than gazing at the Pacific, one of the two treehouse-style suites nestled in the property's garden is a dreamy alternative.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026