Standard Lemma guide

spectator

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: spĕk.tāʹtə
  • Received-Pronunciation: /spɛkˈteɪtə/
  • Canada, General-American: spĕkʹtā.tər
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈspɛkteɪtɚ/
  • Canada, General-American: [ˈspɛkteɪɾɚ]
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪtə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: S P EH1 K T EY0 T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who watches an event; especially, an event held outdoors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The cheering spectators watched the fireworks.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who observes, sees, or views something; an observer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a woman's pump with medium heel; usually in contrasting colors for toe and heel

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: spectator pump

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pump

4

noun

Meaning 4

a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the spectators applauded the performance
  • television viewers
  • sky watchers discovered a new star

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: witness, viewer, watcher, looker

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: perceiver, percipient, observer, beholder

Narrower terms: browser, bystander, cheerer, eyewitness, gawker, moviegoer, motion-picture fan, ogler, onlooker, looker-on, playgoer, theatergoer, theatregoer, rubberneck, rubbernecker, spy, starer, voyeur, Peeping Tom, peeper

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin spectātor, from frequentative verb spectō (“watch”), from speciō (“look at”). Equivalent to spectate + -or. Doublet of speculator.

Across languages

Translations

151 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: shikues — observer
  • Arabic: مُشَاهِد (mušāhid) — observer
  • Arabic: رَاءٍ (rāʔin) — observer
  • Arabic: مُتَفَرِّج (mutafarrij) — observer
  • Arabic: نَاظِر (nāẓir) — observer
  • Arabic: نَاظِرَة (nāẓira) — observer
  • Armenian: հանդիսական (handisakan) — observer
  • Armenian: հանդիսատես (handisates) — observer
  • Armenian: ականատես (akanates) — observer
  • Armenian: դիտող (ditoġ) — observer
  • Azerbaijani: tamaşaçı — observer
  • Azerbaijani: izləyici — observer
  • Bashkir: тамашасы (tamaşası) — observer
  • Basque: ikusle — observer
  • Belarusian: гляда́ч (hljadáč) — observer
  • Belarusian: гляда́чка (hljadáčka) — observer
  • Bengali: দর্শক (dorśok) — observer
  • Bulgarian: зри́тел (zrítel) — observer
  • Bulgarian: зри́телка (zrítelka) — observer
  • Burmese: ကြည့်ရှုသူ (krany.hru.su) — observer
  • Catalan: espectador — observer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 旁觀者 /旁观者 (pángguānzhě) — observer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 觀眾 /观众 (guānzhòng) — observer
  • Crimean Tatar: seyirci — observer
  • Czech: divák — observer
  • Czech: divačka — observer
  • Danish: tilskuer — observer
  • Danish: seer — observer
  • Dutch: toeschouwer — observer
  • Dutch: kijker — observer
  • Esperanto: spektanto — observer
  • Estonian: pealtvaataja — observer
  • Estonian: vaatleja — observer
  • Finnish: katsoja — observer
  • Finnish: sivustakatsoja — observer
  • French: spectateur — observer
  • French: spectatrice — observer
  • French: badaud — observer
  • French: badaude — observer
  • Galician: espectador — observer
  • Georgian: მაყურებელი (maq̇urebeli) — observer
  • German: Zuschauer — observer
  • German: Zuschauerin — observer
  • German: Schaulustiger — observer
  • German: Schaulustige — observer
  • German: Zuseher — observer
  • German: Zuseherin — observer
  • Greek: θεατής (theatís) — observer
  • Ancient Greek: θεατής (theatḗs) — observer
  • Hindi: दर्शक (darśak) — observer
  • Hindi: ईक्षक (īkṣak) — observer
  • Hindi: देखनेवाला (dekhnevālā) — observer
  • Hungarian: megfigyelő — observer
  • Hungarian: nézelődő — observer
  • Hungarian: néző — observer
  • Icelandic: áhorfandi — observer
  • Ido: spektanto — observer
  • Indonesian: penonton — observer
  • Italian: spettatore — observer
  • Italian: spettatrice — observer
  • Japanese: 観客 (kankyaku) — observer
  • Japanese: 見物人 (kenbutsunin) — observer
  • Japanese: 傍観者 (bōkansha) — observer
  • Kazakh: көрермен (körermen) — observer
  • Kazakh: көруші (köruşı) — observer
  • Kazakh: қараушы (qarauşy) — observer
  • Khmer: អ្នកមើល (nĕək məəl) — observer
  • Khmer: អ្នកទស្សនា (nĕək tŭəhsaʼnaa) — observer
  • Khmer: ទស្សនិកជន (tŭəhsaʼnɨkcŭən) — observer
  • Korean: 관객 (gwan'gaek) — observer
  • Korean: 관람객 (gwallamgaek) — observer
  • Korean: 관람인 (gwallamin) — observer
  • Korean: 관람자 (gwallamja) — observer
  • Korean: 방관자 (banggwanja) — observer
  • Korean: 구경꾼 (gugyeongkkun) — observer
  • Korean: 구경군 (gugyeonggun) — observer
  • Northern Kurdish: temaşevan — observer
  • Northern Kurdish: temaşeker — observer
  • Kyrgyz: көрүүчү (körüücü) — observer
  • Lao: ຜູ້ຊົມ (phū som) — observer
  • Latin: spectātor — observer
  • Latin: spectātrix — observer
  • Latvian: skatītājs — observer
  • Latvian: skatītāja — observer
  • Lithuanian: žiūrovas — observer
  • Lithuanian: žiūrovė — observer
  • Macedonian: посматрач (posmatrač) — observer
  • Macedonian: гледач (gledač) — observer
  • Malay: penonton — observer
  • Māori: kaimātakitaki — observer
  • Mongolian: үзэгч (üzegč) — observer
  • Mongolian: ажиглагч (ažiglagč) — observer
  • Mongolian: гэрч (gerč) — observer
  • Norman: spectateur — observer
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tilskuer — observer
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tilskodar — observer
  • Pashto: تماشاچي (tamāšāči) — observer
  • Pashto: نندارچي (nandārči) — observer
  • Pashto: سيل بين (sayl bin) — observer
  • Iranian Persian: تَماشاچی (tamâšâči) — observer
  • Iranian Persian: تَماشاگَر (tamâšâgar) — observer
  • Iranian Persian: ناظِر (nâzer) — observer
  • Iranian Persian: بینَنْدِه (binande) — observer
  • Polish: widz — observer
  • Portuguese: espectador — observer
  • Punjabi: ਤਮਾਸ਼ਬੀਨ (tamāśbīn) — observer
  • Romanian: spectator — observer
  • Romanian: spectatoare — observer
  • Romanian: privitor — observer
  • Romanian: privitoare — observer
  • Romanian: martor ocular — observer
  • Russian: зри́тель (zrítelʹ) — observer
  • Russian: зри́тельница (zrítelʹnica) — observer
  • Russian: наблюда́тель (nabljudátelʹ) — observer
  • Russian: наблюда́тельница (nabljudátelʹnica) — observer
  • Russian: зева́ка (zeváka) — observer
  • Serbo-Croatian: посматрач — observer
  • Serbo-Croatian: глѐдалац — observer
  • Serbo-Croatian: глѐдатељ — observer
  • Serbo-Croatian: posmatrač — observer
  • Serbo-Croatian: glèdalac — observer
  • Serbo-Croatian: glèdatelj — observer
  • Slovak: divák — observer
  • Slovak: diváčka — observer
  • Slovene: gledalec — observer
  • Slovene: gledalka — observer
  • Slovene: opazovalec — observer
  • Slovene: opazovalka — observer
  • Spanish: espectador — observer
  • Swahili: mshabiki — observer
  • Swedish: åskådare — observer
  • Swedish: tittare — observer
  • Tajik: тамошобин (tamošobin) — observer
  • Tajik: нозир (nozir) — observer
  • Tajik: бинонда (binonda) — observer
  • Tajik: тамошогар (tamošogar) — observer
  • Tatar: тамашачы (tamaşaçı) — observer
  • Thai: คนดู (kon-duu) — observer
  • Thai: ผู้ดู (pûu-duu) — observer
  • Thai: ผู้ชม (pûu-chom) — observer
  • Turkish: seyirci — observer
  • Turkmen: tomaşaçy — observer
  • Ukrainian: гляда́ч (hljadáč) — observer
  • Ukrainian: гляда́чка (hljadáčka) — observer
  • Urdu: تَماشائی (tamāśāī) — observer
  • Urdu: تَماش بِین (tamāś bīn) — observer
  • Uyghur: تاماشىبىن (tamashibin) — observer
  • Uzbek: tomoshabin — observer
  • Uzbek: tomoshachi — observer
  • Vietnamese: người xem — observer
  • Vietnamese: khán giả — observer
Real reading context

spectator in complete knowledge articles