Meaning & use
spectate
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Meaning
verbintransitive
To watch an organized event, especially a sports game, as a member of the audience rather than taking part.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'at' or 'from': spectate at a match, spectate from the stands.
Patterns
- spectate at something
- spectate from somewhere
Thousands of fans spectated at the championship game.
He prefers to spectate rather than play in the tournament.
We spectated from the upper deck, where the view was excellent.
Word forms
| third person singular | spectates |
|---|---|
| past tense | spectated |
| past participle | spectated |
| -ing form | spectating |
Common combinations
- spectate at a game
- They spectated at the basketball game on Saturday.
- spectate from the stands
- We spectated from the stands because tickets were sold out.
- spectate rather than participate
- After his injury, he could only spectate rather than participate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- watch
- Watch is the general everyday word and can take an object: watch a game. Spectate is more formal and is used without an object, usually for organized events.
- observe
- Observe suggests watching carefully to learn or notice something, not just for entertainment; spectate is about being in the audience.
Opposites
Word family
- spectator noun
- A person who watches an event, especially a sports game.
- spectating noun
- The activity of watching an event as an audience member.
Commonly confused: spectate or expectorate?
spectate vs expectorate
Expectorate means to cough up and spit out mucus; it sounds somewhat similar to spectate but is completely unrelated in meaning.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Spectate is intransitive, so it does not take a direct object. The correct preposition for the event is 'at': spectate at a match. Options A, C, and D use the wrong structure or preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spectate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.