as in to gaze
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in gaze
a fixed intent look
caught the child's wide-eyed stare on film
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stare
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
People who never normally notice the moon suddenly stop and stare — the surefire way of telling that a celestial event has crossed the threshold and become simply an event.
—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Stood frozen to the backdrop of unrestrained exultation, Cholowsky — the presumptive top pick in July’s MLB Draft — gazed over the boy’s shoulder with a thousand-yard stare.
—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stare
Verb
Greenberg tried his best to ignore an irritating ankle injury that had plagued him the last couple of weeks and grimaced under the hazy sunlight as the pitcher, probably 20 or more years his junior, stared him down.
—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
People who never normally notice the moon suddenly stop and stare — the surefire way of telling that a celestial event has crossed the threshold and become simply an event.
—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
26 June 2026
Noun
Brith stares, dazed, nonplussed.
—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Stood frozen to the backdrop of unrestrained exultation, Cholowsky — the presumptive top pick in July’s MLB Draft — gazed over the boy’s shoulder with a thousand-yard stare.
—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stare
Verb
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An 1812 portrait by Thomas Sully presented him with a long, downturned nose and corners of his mouth to match, leaning on one hand at his desk and gazing over the pages of an open book.
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Terrion Arnold walked across the draft stage in Detroit in April 2024, gazed out at a then-record crowd after being selected by the host city’s franchise and delivered a message to Lions fans tuning in to see their newest addition.
Verb
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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.
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The walk to the stadium is a mile or so along the Alaskan Way, where restaurants like the Crab Pot are opening up, but everyone is gawking at the street spectacle.
Cite this Entry
“Stare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stare. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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