observing 1 of 3

adjective

1
as in participating

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Relevance

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2
as in aware

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Dissimilar Words

observing

2 of 3

noun

as in observation

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observing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of observe
1
as in obeying
to act according to the commands of you must observe all the rules of this school, not simply the ones that meet with your personal approval

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2
as in celebrating
to mark with an appropriate practice, rite, or ceremony a time when few people in New England observed Christmas

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3
as in watching
to keep one's eyes on happily spent many hours observing the birds at the backyard feeder

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4
as in reflecting
to make a statement of one's opinion "I think you might be mistaken," he observed

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5
as in noticing
to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes she observed that the weather had changed again

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6
as in following
to take notice of and be guided by generally observes the suggestions of the experts regarding baby care

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of observing
Noun
Fundy Dark-Sky Preserve, New Brunswick Fundy National Park offers reasonably dark skies and accessible observing locations along the Bay of Fundy coast. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 19 July 2026 Swift receives more annual observing requests than any NASA facility except the James Webb Space Telescope, and its scientific portfolio is broad, extending to comets and planets in other solar systems. — Anna Y. Q. Ho, Scientific American, 29 June 2026 That something has to do with who or what is on the other side of observation, as well as who or what is doing the observing. — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026 With upcoming observing runs from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration expected to deliver even more data, scientists hope to refine these categories and test whether this three-family model truly holds. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026 For an even more enhanced observing experience, find a dark environment away from bright lights to attend the total eclipse show. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026 There is discussion in the news nationwide about legal observing and know-your-rights training sessions. — Heidi Reynolds-Stenson, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2026 In civil-rights circles, that work falls under the broad definition of legal observing. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026 In fact, during the first period of the fourth observing run (known as O4A), LIGO saw more gravitational wave events than from all previous observing runs combined. — Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
The film seeks to hold that tension through a deeply human perspective, where observing can also become an act of care. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 After their decades observing goatsbeard adapting to polyploidy in the lab, the Soltises can even predict which genes are most likely to get the boot and which are more likely to stick around. — Carrie Arnold contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026 Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb have paused multiple trials evaluating their respective cell therapy programs against autoimmune conditions after observing inflammatory side effects in testing, BioPharma Dive reports. — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026 The Wide Field Instrument will focus on observing the night sky with the clarity of Hubble, but cover a vastly greater area than the 36-year-old observatory. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Roman will spend more than a quarter of its planned five-year primary mission observing this 10,000-light-year-wide region, which is so sprawling and thick with stars that previous telescopes have scarcely probed its depths. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2026 This is why observing how people treat those who have less status, power, or usefulness to them can be so revealing. — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 With the capability of observing the cosmos with a wide field of view, Roman will generate first-of-their-kind images to help astronomers explore some of the greatest mysteries, including the unexplained expansion of the universe, according to NASA. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 And after Mexico gained independence in 1821, the Philippines later switched back to observing the same date as its Asian neighbors in 1844 to align with new trade interests in China and the Dutch East Indies. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for observing
  1. participating
  2. aware
  3. observation
  4. obeying
  5. celebrating
  6. watching
  7. reflecting
  8. noticing
Adjective
  • Legal observers are neutral, non-participating watchers who often attend police actions to witness, document and monitor law enforcement behavior.
    — George Petras, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Some of that can surely be chalked up to missing out on the rest and recharge that non-participating players took advantage of during that break, and McLellan confirmed recently that Larkin came back from the tournament banged up, which hampered him.
    — Max Bultman, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of participating
Adjective
  • No one should underestimate the mortal significance of medical discreetness; researchers are well aware that many patients risk their own health due to the stigma associated with requiring medical help.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Most law firms are likely not even aware of Google’s new offerings, and yet the capabilities and benefits appear to be substantial – and cost-effective.
    — Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of aware
Noun
  • Official homeless counts show RV numbers plunging in this 400-square-mile expanse, but wild statistical swings and locals’ on-the-ground observations suggest serious miscounts and an illusory improvement.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Since its establishment in 2025, the border task force has conducted tens of thousands of detection and monitoring patrols and thousands of observation flights, the task force said.
    — Mike Stone, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of observation
Verb
  • People are riding e-bikes and e-motorcycles, sometimes riding recklessly, traveling at high speeds, or not obeying the rules of the road.
    — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The department reminds motorists to drive cautiously through the area, obeying posted speed limit and road work signage.
    — Isabelle Foland, Des Moines Register, 19 July 2026
Definition of obeying
Verb
  • Tommy White Rated PG-13, 1 hour 37 minutes Hank, an American living in Australia, is now trying to be a gentle giant, one who’s celebrating his one-year anniversary of sobriety and who clearly suffers from lingering emotional trauma.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The film, on the other hand, centers on July 14, 1937, which is Bastille Day in France, a day celebrating freedom.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of celebrating
Verb
  • Instead, he’s spent August anxiously watching the orange skies from his house in the northern Nevada hills through two consecutive and adjacent wild-land fires, the Bug and Hawk Fires.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Owen Wolff, 21, was just a small child back then, watching his father play for MLS glory and represent America with the United States Men’s National Team.
    — PJ Green August 28, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of watching
Verb
  • Her hair was styled in intricate cornrows — Iverson’s signature style during the late 1990s into the 2000s — paired with a red and black headband, reflecting Iverson’s team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The tableware was also developed in collaboration with Ginori 1735 with an exclusive variation of the Diva collection created specifically for the restaurant, reflecting the terracotta hue that is one of the main colors.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of reflecting
Verb
  • In one video from Mailung, in Nepal’s Rasuwa region, a group of construction workers was seen walking down a mountain path before noticing giant plumes of brown debris in the distance, rapidly cascading toward them.
    — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • As the children played and the adults talked, Rose kept noticing her husband looking toward the water, scanning the horizon.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of noticing

Browse Nearby Words

observes
observing
obsess
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Cite this Entry

“Observing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/observing. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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