Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

onlooker

American  
[on-look-er, awn-] / ˈɒnˌlʊk ər, ˈɔn- /

noun

  1. spectator; observer; witness.

onlooker British  
/ ˈɒnˌlʊkə /

noun

  1. a person who observes without taking part

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • onlooking adjective

Etymology

Origin of onlooker

1600–10; on + looker, after verb phrase look 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.

Any rational onlooker would assume that the Trojans had held on for good, dispatching of the Ducks.

From Los Angeles Times

That was the line belted out by the commentator as Joel Fearon stunned onlookers by running the 100m in under 10 seconds - breaking one of the most revered barriers in sport.

From BBC

Millions of onlookers are attached to their screens, united in their desperation for any new breadcrumb in the case.

From The Wall Street Journal

They are cheered on by rows of onlookers in the video.

From BBC

Videos circulated online showing a snake handler removing one of the long black snakes that had slithered into the building - with onlookers screaming.

From BBC

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.