How to Use onlooker in a Sentence

onlooker

noun
  • A crowd of onlookers gathered at the fire.
  • An onlooker noticed the disturbance.
  • Curious onlookers watched the ceremony.
  • The woman pointed to the back of the plane as onlookers turned their heads.
    Irving Mejia-Hilario, Dallas News, 4 July 2023
  • The noise of the onlookers rose to a crescendo of screams as the ball hurtled toward the pins: Strike!
    Christopher Kuo, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2023
  • To many onlookers, the protest breaks with the stereotype that women must stay in the home.
    Swati Gupta, Manveena Suri and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN, 14 Jan. 2020
  • By the time an onlooker writes down the result of a play, the Colts are already lined up for the next one.
    The Indianapolis Star, 28 July 2022
  • The onlookers just watched the raptor try to pick off a duckling and run afoul of the mother duck.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 28 Feb. 2024
  • One onlooker turned away from the road and placed her hands on her head in response.
    Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Men and women pressed small books, like the Gospels of Luke and John, into the palms of onlookers.
    Washington Post, 27 Dec. 2019
  • But one onlooker was said to have seen the actor near J Street.
    Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Feb. 2024
  • Halsey isn’t afraid to stand up for herself — even in front of a huge crowd of onlookers.
    De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, 2 Feb. 2020
  • He was photographed with blood on his face and fell to the ground before a crowd of onlookers.
    Donica Phifer, Axios, 13 July 2024
  • Video from onlooker Nathan Dahlager shows a flash of bright orange light and a loud crack at the base of the massive plant.
    Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
  • The two, who have been married for 16 years, weren't scared to show a little bit a lot of PDA for onlookers.
    Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 25 Mar. 2023
  • Chang offers a front-row seat of the war from the perspective of an onlooker.
    Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2021
  • Of course, the rest of the onlookers in the video were impressed as well, and Delevigne could be seen battling tears.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Video footage showed her being brought to the van by onlookers and driven away.
    David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2024
  • Parade onlookers will not have to comply with the code.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 7 June 2023
  • Prentice Brooks said an onlooker had seen the assault taking place and stepped up to stop the threat.
    Bradford Betz, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Along the route from the bar to the bowling alley, onlookers lined the streets to watch the president's motorcade.
    Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2023
  • Fans threw rice at the couple and one onlooker even gave them a wedding cake.
    Jacklyn Krol, Peoplemag, 29 Aug. 2022
  • Still, some onlookers think the new measures aren’t enough to protect the historic site.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Jan. 2024
  • Musk’s mom weighs in For many onlookers, a cage match between two of the world’s most famous CEOs would be the sporting event of the year.
    Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 27 June 2023
  • Other videos showed at least six fire trucks at the scene and some onlookers weeping.
    Zen Soo, Anchorage Daily News, 22 June 2023
  • At first, onlookers didn’t know what to do with these objects.
    Jillian Steinhauer, The New Republic, 1 Apr. 2020
  • The local council shut down some roads near the cathedral on June 7 as onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the event.
    Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 8 June 2024
  • Video footage posted by onlookers showed what looked like the trail of a missile and the plane falling from the sky with one wing missing.
    WSJ, 23 Aug. 2023
  • No additions will be made to the building, so its profile will stay exactly the same for onlookers at street level.
    Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 26 Sep. 2024
  • Without these keys, any data that could potentially land in a breach is nothing but illegible noise to nosy onlookers.
    Matthias Pfau, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'onlooker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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