stare

1 of 2

verb

ˈster 

stared; staring

intransitive verb

1

: to look fixedly often with wide-open eyes

2

: to show oneself conspicuously

the error stared from the page

3

of hair : to stand on end : bristle

also : to appear rough and lusterless

transitive verb

1

: to have an effect on by staring

2

: to look at with a searching or earnest gaze

starer noun

stare

2 of 2

noun

: the act or an instance of staring

a blank stare

Phrases

stare one in the face

: to be undeniably and forcefully evident or apparent

Synonyms

Verb

• blink
• gape
• gawk
• gawp [chiefly British]
• gaze
• goggle
• peer
• rubberneck

Noun

• aspect [archaic]
• eye
• gape
• gaze
• regard
• scrutiny

Examples of stare in a Sentence

Verb

She stared out the window.

His mother told him not to stare.

Noun

They looked at me with accusing stares.

caught the child's wide-eyed stare on film

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

No one gave him a talk on how to react when people stare at him walking through an airport or dropping his head to get through a doorway. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024

Doug Brown, director of stewardship at the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, a nonprofit that maintains nearly 14,000 acres of wild land and over 60 miles of trails in this western Massachusetts county, stares into the distant haze, shielding his eyes from the sun. —Sophie Ungerleider, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Dec. 2024

Noun

Clues like stare, arcs and Saran were not. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

Eventually, Collette’s rigid, defensive stare gives way to belief while Hoult’s cherubic face hides a weak, secretive nature. —Armond White, National Review, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English starian; akin to Old High German starēn to stare, Greek stereos solid, Lithuanian starinti to stiffen

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stare

• blank stare
• fix one's eyes/gaze/stare on/upon
• look/shoot/stare daggers at
• stare at (someone)
• stare daggers
• stare decisis
• stare down
• stare/gaze (off) into space
• stare out
• stare (someone) in the eye(s)
• stare (someone) in the face

Kids Definition

stare

1 of 2 verb

ˈsta(ə)r 

ˈste(ə)r

stared; staring

: to look hard and long often with wide-open eyes

stare at a stranger

starer noun

stare

2 of 2 noun

: the act or an instance of staring