squint

1 of 3

adjective

1
of an eye : looking or tending to look obliquely or askance (as with envy or disdain)
2
of the eyes : not having the visual axes parallel : crossed

squint

2 of 3

verb

squinted; squinting; squints

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have an indirect bearing, reference, or aim
b
: to deviate from a true line
2
a
: to look in a squint-eyed manner
b
: to be cross-eyed
c
: to look or peer with eyes partly closed

transitive verb

: to cause (an eye) to squint
squinter noun
squintingly adverb

squint

3 of 3

noun

1
2
: an instance of squinting
3
squinty adjective

Examples of squint in a Sentence

Verb She had to squint to read the small print. He squinted through the haze of smoke. I had to squint my eyes to focus on the tiny letters. I noticed that he squints. Noun Her gaze narrowed into a squint.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
For The Ringer, Nate Rogers investigates what’s behind the issue, and why the blindingly luminescent horse is out of the angry, squinting barn. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 5 Dec. 2024 This leads to a generally cleaner, more stable image which should help competitive players track and eliminate targets without having to squint their eyes as much. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
Wyler’s squint of discomfort with Penn’s manipulations soon softens into a look of impressed awe, her eyes no longer judgmental but adoring. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024 Their faces spoke louder: frowns of frustration, gasps of shock, squints of doubt, bursts of laughter, pouts of disappointment. Gerui Wang, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for squint 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

probably aphetic form of earlier a squint, going back to Middle English a squynt, in the phrase beholden (loken) a squynt "to be cross-eyed, look obliquely," from a- a- entry 1 + squynt, of uncertain origin

Note: Middle English a squynt, asquint has been compared with Dutch schuin "aslant, slantingly, askew" (unknown in Middle Dutch, first attested as schuyn "transversus, obliquus" in the Dutch-Latin dictionary of Cornelis Kiliaan, 1599), though the nature of the relationship is unclear. (Dutch schuin is paralleled by Gronings [West Low German] schuun, Low German schün, hypothetically from Germanic *skeuni-.) The form asquint is attested early, already in the Ancrene Wisse (as an addition in one manuscript, British Library Cotton Nero A.14, mid-13th century), but if a putative early Middle Dutch [sχy:n], prior to the development of the diphthong, is the source, -squint seems an unlikely outcome. Variants without t (of skwyn "on a slant," askoyn, ascoign "askance") may have a more direct relationship to Dutch schuin.

Verb

derivative of squint entry 1

Noun

derivative of squint entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

circa 1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of squint was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near squint

Cite this Entry

“Squint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squint. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

squint

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to look with a side glance (as in jealousy or disdain)
b
: to be cross-eyed
2
: to look or peer with eyes partly closed
squinter noun

squint

2 of 2 noun
1
: inability to direct both eyes to the same object due to a fault of the muscles of the eyeball
2
: the act or an instance of squinting
squinty
ˈskwint-ē
adjective

Medical Definition

squint

1 of 2 intransitive verb
1
: to be cross-eyed
2
: to look or peer with eyes partly closed

squint

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: an instance or habit of squinting
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