as in staring
to look long and hard in wonder or surprise
visitors seem mesmerized as they peer at the variety of marine life in the aquarium's huge tank
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Recent Examples of peering
Watching the House chamber from the viewing gallery before the speech was like peering into a garden party from above.
—
Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
By peering through thick veils of gas and dust, radio astronomers have been able to watch young binary stars orbit around one another in the heart of star-forming clouds — and, in the process, have revealed the stars' masses.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The trio pulled up on e-bikes, drove up to the entrance of the Information Center and began shouting and taking pictures, pausing to take drags off a vape while peering through the shuttered doors.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
That means parking your car responsibly and not peering into private homes or gardens.
—Andrea Bussell, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2026
To glean clues about her birth family, Valentine held the note up to the light, peering through the obscuring markings.
—Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Rest and relaxation are otherwise encouraged via the design itself, from the warm woods that wrap around the place to the open design that prioritizes open spaces for roaming, lots of windows for peering outside, and a bathroom with a massive tub for taking a good long soak.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
Outside City Hall, New Yorkers and tourists frequently stop for selfies, peering through the iron gates in search of the mayor.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
So what can a few hours of peering out the window from 4,000 miles away really tell us about the Moon?
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026
Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
By peering through thick veils of gas and dust, radio astronomers have been able to watch young binary stars orbit around one another in the heart of star-forming clouds — and, in the process, have revealed the stars' masses.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The trio pulled up on e-bikes, drove up to the entrance of the Information Center and began shouting and taking pictures, pausing to take drags off a vape while peering through the shuttered doors.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
That means parking your car responsibly and not peering into private homes or gardens.
—Andrea Bussell, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2026
To glean clues about her birth family, Valentine held the note up to the light, peering through the obscuring markings.
—Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Rest and relaxation are otherwise encouraged via the design itself, from the warm woods that wrap around the place to the open design that prioritizes open spaces for roaming, lots of windows for peering outside, and a bathroom with a massive tub for taking a good long soak.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 14 Apr. 2026
Outside City Hall, New Yorkers and tourists frequently stop for selfies, peering through the iron gates in search of the mayor.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
So what can a few hours of peering out the window from 4,000 miles away really tell us about the Moon?
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peering
Verb
-
That's a lot of late nights and early mornings staring at the sky.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
What Jaafar does amounts to an elaborate impression instead of an interpretation, re-creating the voice and the famous choreography and otherwise staring blankly into the middle distance when called upon to transmit emotions.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One untitled work from 1994 shows a strange monster—a guard bent over, gazing back at us between his own legs, his upside-down grin framed by his jackboots.—
Ben Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Even without a treatment booking, guests may cycle through the hydrotherapy circuit—steam, sauna, hot and cold plunge—while gazing at city panoramas.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those are important characteristics for advertisers seeking to make dynamic campaigns for an audience that's grown accustomed to viewing short-form videos on Reels or gawking at cat photos on Facebook and Instagram.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
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On a typical day, the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale reverberates with animal cries and the footfalls of gawking visitors.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peering. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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