STARED Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

stared

verb

past tense of stare

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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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 stared Dos Santos stared toward the clock in amazement after finishing the 400-meter hurdles Thursday night at the Diamond League meet in Zurich. — ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 As Counsell exited the dugout to make the pitching change, Imanaga walked to the back of the mound and stared toward the outfield. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 Stunned, Anderson simply stared at the crowd, mouth agape and silent for a beat. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026 As prosecutors played audio of Davis explaining the moment Shakur was shot, members of Shakur's family, including his stepbrother Maurice Shakur, stared ahead and listened intently from the audience. — CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 Near the intersection of 11th Street and Washington Avenue, Hoffmann stopped and stared at the illuminated building across the street — the Miami Beach Police Department. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026 The students stared at their feet and struggled to keep straight faces. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 His family stared balefully at him, waiting for some alchemy to be performed by his hand, like those trips when he was somehow expected to navigate them through an unknown city. — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 As Draper sat at the side of the court for the change of ends and stared at the floor, tears began to flow. — The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stared

Verb

On Air Force One, somewhere above Alaska, White House communications director Steven Cheung gazed out at the Northern Lights.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 20 Aug. 2026
Kikuko rolled over on her side and gazed up at the sky, which had suddenly become blanketed in thunder clouds.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of gazed

Verb

People in surrounding cars gawked, waved and, in one instance, rolled down their windows to shout something that went unheard, as Bonelli explained that the van had internal cameras that were always on but not always being watched.

— Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
On Thursday, the nuisance from the wings was the one being gawked at by a cast young enough to be his kids — a detail Wilson clocked from backstage.

— Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of gawked

Verb

Oswalt peered down the pitcher’s mound and aimed a first-pitch fastball high and inside.

— Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Dern's 7-year-old daughter peered her head over the barricade from her front row seat and shouted encouragement each time mom got close to her side of the cage.

— CBS News, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of peered

Browse Nearby Words

stare

stared

stared down

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“Stared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stared. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of stared

verb

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