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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.

“How’s the weather been?” he asked one onlooker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Nix had surgery last week and was an onlooker as the Broncos fell to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

From Barron's • Jan. 27, 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

What he means is that he doesn’t want to be merely an onlooker, that there’s no room for him in all that, and he’s right.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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.