as in spectators
someone who sees or watches something
several onlookers gave chase after the thief grabbed the woman's purse
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Recent Examples of onlookers
The clip shows a woman pushing her 2-year-old in a double stroller, but a seemingly empty seat next to him had some onlookers giving her strange looks.
—
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The show got underway outdoors at Borough Hall with a handful of guests and many more onlookers (the runway was raised, which was a nice touch).
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2025
Charles’s actions then were interpreted, probably correctly, as a rebuke to Trump for his ungracious treatment of his guest, and also reminded international onlookers that the king remains the most political of monarchs, unafraid to make his favor—or displeasure—known.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
That, in turn, moves the angled fan mount far enough to the right to give onlookers a straight view from the case’s front window to the front edge of the motherboard.
—Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2025
The shooting sent students and onlookers running in a panic captured on video and spread widely.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Cryer is similarly observant toward Sheen’s extended public meltdown, an early inflection point in the social media era in which onlookers got an exhilarating blow-by-blow of one man’s downward spiral.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
For two days, climbers and onlookers gathered around a 45-foot wall—an ephemeral monument suspended above water—where the edges between sport, spectacle, and cultural communion blurred.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The show got underway outdoors at Borough Hall with a handful of guests and many more onlookers (the runway was raised, which was a nice touch).
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2025
Charles’s actions then were interpreted, probably correctly, as a rebuke to Trump for his ungracious treatment of his guest, and also reminded international onlookers that the king remains the most political of monarchs, unafraid to make his favor—or displeasure—known.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
That, in turn, moves the angled fan mount far enough to the right to give onlookers a straight view from the case’s front window to the front edge of the motherboard.
—Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2025
The shooting sent students and onlookers running in a panic captured on video and spread widely.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Cryer is similarly observant toward Sheen’s extended public meltdown, an early inflection point in the social media era in which onlookers got an exhilarating blow-by-blow of one man’s downward spiral.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
For two days, climbers and onlookers gathered around a 45-foot wall—an ephemeral monument suspended above water—where the edges between sport, spectacle, and cultural communion blurred.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
In response, Baxter and many other trans artists prefer to play with such perceptions, frustrating the gaze of prurient onlookers.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onlookers
Noun
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The rest of the world – which is not yet armed with jet drones, or interceptors to stop them – are spectators, for the time being.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Batsheva's immersive brunch-style presentation allowed attendees to see their designs in motion, breaking the divide between high fashion and spectators.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The outcome was never publicly disclosed, though Chinese space observers speculated that the trial may not have gone as planned, according to SCMP.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Sep. 2025
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During the greetings, some observers noted that the president, 79, did not bow and the first lady, 55, did not curtsy while shaking hands with Charles and Camilla, as well William and Kate.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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He was known for his controversial political and social takes related to race, gun violence and immigration, and had an audience of millions of viewers and listeners across various platforms.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
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Conservatives responded by calling Kirk’s death a left-wing attack on their beliefs, and have drawn viewers and listeners to broadcasts discussing the assassination.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Onlookers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onlookers. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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