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
The camera caught Maher staring at the stage with a slight smile, seemingly unsure how to react.
—
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 13 June 2026
Most of us spend hours staring at phones, laptops and tablets every day, and our eyes feel it.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
Susie Rodriguez can still place herself on Mount Vernon’s front porch, a kid on a family trip, leaning against a pillar and staring at George Washington’s house.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
The Knicks were dead in the water, staring at the series seemingly being tied 2-2 with Game 5 set at Frost Bank Center on Saturday night.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
And the dependency runs deeper still, because every one of these companies sits atop a supplier base that is now staring at structural decline.
—Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
On the other side of the couch, Kyle sits staring at them both, alternating between anger and grief, and although Andy didn’t spend much time trying to peel back the layers of Kyle’s despair, his aimlessness is as much at the heart of this season as anything Amanda and West did.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 June 2026
In the distance, a girl or young woman seems to be staring at you.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 13 June 2026
Most of us spend hours staring at phones, laptops and tablets every day, and our eyes feel it.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
Susie Rodriguez can still place herself on Mount Vernon’s front porch, a kid on a family trip, leaning against a pillar and staring at George Washington’s house.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
The Knicks were dead in the water, staring at the series seemingly being tied 2-2 with Game 5 set at Frost Bank Center on Saturday night.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
And the dependency runs deeper still, because every one of these companies sits atop a supplier base that is now staring at structural decline.
—Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
On the other side of the couch, Kyle sits staring at them both, alternating between anger and grief, and although Andy didn’t spend much time trying to peel back the layers of Kyle’s despair, his aimlessness is as much at the heart of this season as anything Amanda and West did.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 June 2026
In the distance, a girl or young woman seems to be staring at you.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staring
Verb
-
Yoon’s wife is gazing at a small, framed photo on the cabinet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The star was photographed cozying up to Consuelos on the red carpet, laughing at their private conversation, and gazing at him.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Shoppers are gawking at their climbing receipts as food costs continue to climb.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
-
This seemingly reflexive action of whipping out their phones while gawking and filming isn’t a novel occurrence.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staring. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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