as in staring
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
visitors seem mesmerized as they peer at the variety of marine life in the aquarium's huge tank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 peering
Qassem and Ali moved through every room, peering into corners, opening doors.
—
Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Inside, the front desk is flanked by an animatronic dire wolf and a life-size acrylic woolly mammoth peering out from what appears to be a massive block of ice.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Basulto’s planes would typically fly a few miles apart over large quadrants of the Florida Straits, zigzagging over endless swaths of sea and peering down into the whitecaps for signs of life.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 18 May 2026
As grieving attendees lined up to pay respects to the children, one woman shut her eyes after peering at one of the children, Kayla, who wore a white dress, her fingernails carefully painted pink.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Home-surveillance footage provided to the Miami Herald shows a masked man peering into cars in the area shortly before authorities were called.
—Sofia Saric
may 6, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Surveillance video provided by police shows two men dressed in all black, wearing masks, walking through the complex and peering into parked cars.
—Abby Dodge, CBS News, 5 May 2026
The image of an officer peering into the empty driver’s seat of the offending vehicle may have been good for a chuckle, but other incidents have been no laughing matter.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
And a visitor might be even more surprised by the flow, with an open dining area peering over the living room, and decks on the front and back of the house.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Apr. 2026
Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Inside, the front desk is flanked by an animatronic dire wolf and a life-size acrylic woolly mammoth peering out from what appears to be a massive block of ice.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026
Basulto’s planes would typically fly a few miles apart over large quadrants of the Florida Straits, zigzagging over endless swaths of sea and peering down into the whitecaps for signs of life.
—Rick Jervis, USA Today, 18 May 2026
As grieving attendees lined up to pay respects to the children, one woman shut her eyes after peering at one of the children, Kayla, who wore a white dress, her fingernails carefully painted pink.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Home-surveillance footage provided to the Miami Herald shows a masked man peering into cars in the area shortly before authorities were called.
—Sofia Saric
may 6, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
Surveillance video provided by police shows two men dressed in all black, wearing masks, walking through the complex and peering into parked cars.
—Abby Dodge, CBS News, 5 May 2026
The image of an officer peering into the empty driver’s seat of the offending vehicle may have been good for a chuckle, but other incidents have been no laughing matter.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
And a visitor might be even more surprised by the flow, with an open dining area peering over the living room, and decks on the front and back of the house.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peering
Verb
-
His hands were at ten and two, his face fixed, staring straight ahead.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of seizures can include short-term confusion, staring spells, stiff muscles and jerking movements of the arms and legs.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Since time immemorial, humans gazing up at the moon have asked grand questions.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
Other communities, such as Malibu, have developed ordinances to reduce glare and artificial light, as has Joshua Tree National Park, a star-gazing haven that is designated an International Dark Sky Park.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
This seemingly reflexive action of whipping out their phones while gawking and filming isn’t a novel occurrence.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
Those are important characteristics for advertisers seeking to make dynamic campaigns for an audience that's grown accustomed to viewing short-form videos on Reels or gawking at cat photos on Facebook and Instagram.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peering. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
