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

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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 staring Finkelstein is also part of another program that will attempt to re-create Hubble and JWST’s famous deep-field images, which revealed millions of previously unseen galaxies by staring at seemingly empty patches of sky. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026 When producer Robert Stigwood initially approached him about staring in the Sgt. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026 New Orleans could be staring at 0-2 after opening the season with road games at Detroit and Baltimore. — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Sumrall said Lovett is in line to start alongside two-year staring guard Knijeah Harris, Georgia Tech transfer center Harrison Moore, Penn State transfer TJ Shanahan at right guard and Stanford transfer Emeka Ugorji at right tackle. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026 For you, that could mean fewer moments spent staring at your Messages app waiting for a bank code to arrive. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Auf der Maur, in white, is twisted away from the audience, staring intently at the lens. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 For a developer staring at a queue, that’s a trade, not a punishment. — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 So, the challenge for Cline right now, as Outer Banks slips into the back row of Netflix’s library, is to make sure people continue staring at her. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for staring

Verb

Their mornings begin with coffee and toast on the deck, gazing over the village rooftops to the ocean.

— Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Deployed in 2004, the Swift Observatory spent over two decades gazing into some of the universe’s most powerful explosions.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of gazing

Verb

On most days the Jewel House in the Tower of London is packed with tourists gawking at the fabled British Crown Jewels.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Instead, the skin-frying Friday saw common flow of people going through, gawking at the large screens and a group of sailors allowing some passing by to do pull-ups from a bar.

— Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of gawking

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star (in)

staring

staring down

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

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Synonyms of staring

verb

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