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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in gaze
a fixed intent look
caught the child's wide-eyed stare on film
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 stare
Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
The two men, in their respective corners, stared each other down.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
The camera zooms in close on his face at this point in the interview, as if trying to glean a hint of emotion from the artist’s middle-distance stare.
—Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stare
Verb
To avoid emptying your entire backpack looking for it while 30 people behind you stare you down, do yourself a favor and order a travel document organizer.
—Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
The two men, in their respective corners, stared each other down.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
His smoldering stare has been illegally printed on T-shirts by dozens of small Chinese businesses through the global marketplace AliExpress.
—Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
The camera zooms in close on his face at this point in the interview, as if trying to glean a hint of emotion from the artist’s middle-distance stare.
—Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stare
Verb
-
Images of Robbie in looks from archival John Galliano to custom Dilara Findikoglu, often gazing up at co-star Jacob Elordi, himself in custom Bottega Veneta, have been crowding our social feeds for weeks, well ahead of the film’s February 13 release.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The façade was pure marketing, with Schubert and Mozart gazing down on an arched display window that gave views into the rotunda.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bystanders gawk and cheer from the sidewalks.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The town has become a popular destination for people who want to gawk at the extraordinary creatures.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stare. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
