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
Behind the glass doors of an unassuming building in Manhattan, staring across a shuttered print shop, a shadowy world stirred, coming alive with the flick of cards, the muted clink of glasses and the quiet hum of a dangerous secret.
—
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Sean Monahan, Voronkov and others came up empty on point-blank opportunities that left them staring into the rafters or yelling at the ice in frustration.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Kat tells me to sit staring at a spot on the wall for three minutes, then to close my eyes and relax for two more.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Sure, that could change in the months to come with a couple of phone calls, but for now, the Warriors aren’t spending every day staring at the trade deadline, desperately hoping for reinforcements.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
The Western quoll became an endangered species, and before long, the animals were staring at the possibility of extinction.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
In the first photo, Ezer wears a white T-shirt and a yellow racing jacket, staring into the camera.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
The camera then switches from the chaos of the puppy, to the kitten—who is sitting in a relaxed position, blinking slowly, and staring almost disdainfully at the wriggling puppy.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Making things with your hands will shift your brain into problem-solving mode and sparks creativity in ways staring at a screen never will.
—Cas Holman, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Sean Monahan, Voronkov and others came up empty on point-blank opportunities that left them staring into the rafters or yelling at the ice in frustration.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Kat tells me to sit staring at a spot on the wall for three minutes, then to close my eyes and relax for two more.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Sure, that could change in the months to come with a couple of phone calls, but for now, the Warriors aren’t spending every day staring at the trade deadline, desperately hoping for reinforcements.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
The Western quoll became an endangered species, and before long, the animals were staring at the possibility of extinction.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
In the first photo, Ezer wears a white T-shirt and a yellow racing jacket, staring into the camera.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
The camera then switches from the chaos of the puppy, to the kitten—who is sitting in a relaxed position, blinking slowly, and staring almost disdainfully at the wriggling puppy.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Making things with your hands will shift your brain into problem-solving mode and sparks creativity in ways staring at a screen never will.
—Cas Holman, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staring
Verb
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The footage shows a tabby cat gazing out the window with her back to the camera while a small gray-and-white kitten sits beside her.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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The final shot sees Tom gazing out the window as a curtain gently sways in the warm breeze.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the cringe-comedy antics of the original NBC series landed far better in Season 3 than in Season 1, once audiences began to truly love the characters instead of just gawking at them.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Nunn has a divided audience, as the Baddies show is fueled with drama, with Jerry Springer style fights to keep viewers gawking.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Staring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staring. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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