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 Beijing — When US and Israeli bombs first began falling on Iran at the end of February, China’s leaders were staring at the very real possibility of another friendly regime being decapitated, much like had happened with Venezuela only weeks before. —

Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 June 2026 Yesterday, Barack Obama stood in the nearly same spot, now as a former president, staring up at a monument in his name. —

Josh Feldman, NBC news, 19 June 2026 Some people get so nervous or very emotional, because staring into someone’s eyes is so intimate. —

Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 June 2026 Oftentimes, McDaniel will be staring at Herbert’s feet during a rep and will watch those feet for several seconds before even turning to assess where the throw traveled. —

Daniel Popper, New York Times, 17 June 2026 The black curtain was lowered again leaving the witnesses staring at their own reflections. —

Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 June 2026 Regrets are common enough after lives are lost — when the cost of conflict is staring you right in the face, dead-eyed and countless — and yet this specific contrition persists long before the ships crash, the arrows fly, and the dragons roar. —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 15 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for staring

Verb

Years after his dad’s reformation, Jonah sits on a bench at the Broncos’ practice facility in Dove Valley, gazing out at the green expanse of his future.

— Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 June 2026
The self-reflexive qualities of the work go further, and the film can surely be read as a statement about the limits and possibilities of a totally analogue and backwards-gazing practice.

— Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026