spectator

[spek-tey-ter, spek-tey-]

noun

1. a person who looks on or watches; onlooker; observer.

2. a person who is present at and views a spectacle, display, or the like; member of an audience.

3. Also called spectator shoe. a white shoe with a perforated wing tip and back trim, traditionally of dark brown, dark blue, or black but sometimes of a lighter color.

spectator

/ spɛkˈteɪtə /

noun

1. a person viewing anything; onlooker; observer

Other Word Forms

• spectatorial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spectator¹

1580–90; < Latin spectātor, equivalent to spectā ( re ), frequentative of specere to look, regard + -tor -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of spectator¹

C16: from Latin, from spectāre to watch; see _spectacle

Example Sentences

The adjustments less than two weeks before the Games begin were "to ensure safety for athletes, officials and spectators", SEA Games Thailand 2025 said in a Facebook post Thursday.

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Virtually a spectator in a match dominated by pace.

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According to later reports, the spectators on the hillside flinched and covered their ears as the Mary Rose fired a broadside from its starboard side at one of the French vessels.

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There were hardly any spectators but the match was shown live on Sri Lanka's national television, Rupavahini.

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A minute's silence was impeccably observed ahead of kick-off by the 41,000 spectators as France marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks in and around Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015.

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Related Words

• bystander 
• fan 
• moviegoer www.thesaurus.com
• observer 
• onlooker 
• sports fan www.thesaurus.com
• theatergoer 
• viewer