Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To attend (a sporting event, for example) as a spectator.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To look about or upon; gaze; behold.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive to attend an event as a spectator.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be a spectator in a sports event

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Back-formation from spectator.]

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Examples

  • Meanwhile, a Galaxy Tab device was able to "spectate," or watch over, what the other user was doing on Maya on the iPad, also through OnLive.

    Forbes.com: News Oliver Chiang 2010

  • There are thirty active contributors and four or five people have authoring rights - so each of one of us has a network of people who tell us things ... then about another three hundred people 'spectate' and occasionally get involved if we make things easy for them. "

    News from Journalism.co.uk 2010

  • At a maximum, these fans might consider finding fulfilling activities in which they can actually participate rather than just spectate.

    Dr. Jim Taylor: Is the NFL Bad for Women's Health? Dr. Jim Taylor 2011

  • The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign (AEC) has organized the Poor People's World Cup, a three-week-long competition that mimics the FIFA World Cup, but allows poor South Africans to participate and spectate.

    'Poor People's World Cup' Shows Exclusion Of Poor In South Africa 2010

  • But sometimes Parks Bonifay will surprise Shaun Murray with a Temper Tantrum or other Invert-style move, and then he will spectate the babes outside while high-fiving Shaun Murray.

    Waketaurs 2010

  • With eight people to watch, I figured the most efficient way to spectate would be on wheels, so I brought my rollerblades and as it turned out, I saw almost everyone at several points in the race.

    2008 November « The Book Publicity Blog 2008

  • With eight people to watch, I figured the most efficient way to spectate would be on wheels, so I brought my rollerblades and as it turned out, I saw almost everyone at several points in the race.

    2008 November 24 « The Book Publicity Blog 2008

  • With eight people to watch, I figured the most efficient way to spectate would be on wheels, so I brought my rollerblades and as it turned out, I saw almost everyone at several points in the race.

    How do you communicate? « The Book Publicity Blog 2008

  • Tarps were constructed over the Colosseum so that the entertainment-hungry masses could spectate for days at a time out of the hot summer sun.

    Bill Mann: Jackson Media Miscoverage: Our Modern-Day "Bread and Circuses" 2009

  • His subjects assume the same weight and importance as a human portrait sitter, and demand (as a human subject would) that the viewer engage with them rather than simply spectate.

    TEDTalks: James Balog: Time-Lapse Proof of Extreme Ice Loss 2009

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