onlooker
Americannoun
-
onlookers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of onlooker
Explanation
An onlooker is someone who watches something but isn't directly involved in it. The spectators at a boxing match or a dog show or a marathon are all onlookers. If you observe an event but you don't participate in it, you're an onlooker. The event itself might be a performance of some kind, like a concert or a football match, or it might be some undesirable occurrence: "The firefighters battled the blaze while onlookers watched in horror." Onlooker dates from the early seventeenth century, from the sense of "looking on."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sunday's spectacle drew crowds of hundreds, with onlooker Richard Bode, 34, calling the event a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
An onlooker warned the agents, “You gonna let him die.”
From Salon ● Jan. 14, 2026
During one of their batting sessions at Oak Park High, Todd was challenged to a race around the bases by an onlooker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2025
Moments later, another onlooker approached Sliwa and urged him to drop out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
The auction is almost done, having narrowed to two users, but this time I stand by as an onlooker, watching behind the security bots as the price continues to climb.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Templeton has seen onlookers react with similar awe.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
In the park of the Temple of Amun, near the centre, hundreds of onlookers had gathered despite the stifling August heat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In Grande's video appeal in 2023, she said that even if concerned onlookers thought they were "saying something good or well-intentioned" about someone's appearance and wellbeing, they should think twice.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
A furry AI pet batted its eyelashes at cooing onlookers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
I can still hear the noise and chaos from the onlookers.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
