How to Use spectate in a Sentence

spectate

verb
  • The ones who don’t just spectate, but suit up.
    — Victoria Thomas, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Sunday’s taut game did not let a manager sit back and spectate.
    — Matt Kawahara, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2022
  • For those that didn't run, spectating along the Pig route is almost as much of a sport.
    — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, 6 May 2018
  • For those spectating this weekend, keep it classic and cushy.
    — Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
  • The temptation is to just pull over and spectate, for such occasions are rare.
    — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, 9 Dec. 2020
  • Some to protest, some to spectate and some simply to attend Mass and return to their cars.
    — Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 6 July 2020
  • The event is open to kids and adults of all ages with free entry for parents or caregivers who are only spectating.
    — Jasmin Barmore, Detroit Free Press, 3 Aug. 2023
  • This is usually a pattern that astronomers use to spectate stars from Earth.
    — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 12 Feb. 2022
  • The crowd that gathered to spectate the flock of us pedaling in our sports bras didn’t help my body anxiety either.
    — Amber Brenza, SELF, 11 Oct. 2017
  • Stop by the Alaska State Fairgrounds to compete in the games or to spectate.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 29 May 2023
  • For those spectating at a speed climbing event, a moment’s distraction can prove costly.
    — George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Aug. 2024
  • Players eventually stopped spectating and went about their work.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Any other players that are expected to have a role this season were spectating on the sideline by the end of the third quarter.
    — Stephen Means, cleveland, 22 Sep. 2019
  • Within no time, the agenda quickly turned from spectating to dancing, with Carey leading a sing-along.
    — Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2025
  • With all the festivities happening, even a mean Grinch couldn't help but join in spectating.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
  • Residents looking to spectate safely will need specialized glasses to watch the eclipse.
    — David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2024
  • People have disagreements in the street and start fistfighting, and these fights can pull other characters away to spectate.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Time will tell whether Chattanooga product will be starting, spectating or rotating.
    — Oliver Thomas, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Like a true supportive partner (and eager tennis fan) she can often be seen with an intense look on her face, closely spectating.
    — Erica Marrison, Peoplemag, 9 July 2024
  • He finger-wags rappers who live their raps yet giddily spectates their beef, earning a fortune and an immense following from his hypocrisy.
    — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2023
  • Those who prefer to spectate online will be able to find full details, specs, and photos here once the seventh-generation pony car launches next month.
    — Laura Sky Brown, Car and Driver, 19 Aug. 2022
  • Grab some barbacoa tacos or a chorizo salad from Tito's, then hurry back to the grandstands to resume spectating.
    — Todd Plummer, Town & Country, 13 Mar. 2017
  • Portland artist Jacqueline Ehlis has long viewed art as more about participating than spectating.
    — Amy Wang | The Oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, 24 Aug. 2017
  • This involved a generous definition of spectating—the court was barely visible from parts of the upper deck.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2023
  • Professional gamers can still compete remotely and maintain the highest level of gameplay -- plus, fans can still spectate and without charge.
    — Sean Collins, Dallas News, 20 Mar. 2020
  • Time travel is a classic trope in science fiction, posing questions about fixing the past, paradoxes, or simply spectating in a time long before your own.
    — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2018
  • The North Ag Barn will have a practice arena in the middle of the facility and bleachers for spectating events.
    — Kaila Contreras, Houston Chronicle, 15 Aug. 2019
  • That match could actually be the perfect one to spectate to see the difference between LAN and online play.
    — Sean Collins, Dallas News, 29 June 2021
  • My agonizing over a coin toss illustrates the basic distortion that gambling exerts on spectating.
    — Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Clark and Daly met outside Joe’s Pizza, both unable to spectate from the sidelines, and ended up sticking together the rest of the day.
    — Amina Kilpatrick, NBC news, 19 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spectate.' 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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