stareverb [ I or T ]
uk/steər/us/ster/B2 to look for a long time with the eyes wide open, especially when surprised, frightened, or thinking:
Don't stare at people like that, it's rude.
Chuck sat quietly for hours staring into the distance, thinking of what might have been.
During the press conference, each boxer tried to stare the other down (= force the other to look away by continual staring).
More examples
- He stared open-eyed at all the food on the table.
- A kind of peacefulness overcame him as he stared up at the stars.
- I looked in her face for some response, but she just stared at me blankly.
- He just stared blankly at me.
- Carl stared blearily at the newspaper.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Using the eyes
- before your very eyes idiom
- beheld
- bore
- breathe
- come to sb's attention/notice idiom
- dart
- eye
- feast
- gawk
- get a load of that! idiom
- get him, her, you, etc.! idiom
- keep tabs on sth/sb idiom
- look-see
- observational
- out of/from the corner of your eye idiom
- passer-by
- rest
- sneak
- squint
- visual
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staring
adjective uk/ˈsteə.rɪŋ/us/ˈster.ɪŋ/
In the darkness we could just make out the blank staring eyes of a child.
Idiom(s)
be staring at sth
stare sb in the face
stare sth in the face
starenoun [ C ]
uk/steər/us/ster/a long look at something or someone with your eyes wide open:
She gave him a long stare but didn't answer his question.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Using the eyes
- before your very eyes idiom
- beheld
- bore
- breathe
- come to sb's attention/notice idiom
- dart
- eye
- feast
- gawk
- get a load of that! idiom
- get him, her, you, etc.! idiom
- keep tabs on sth/sb idiom
- look-see
- observational
- out of/from the corner of your eye idiom
- passer-by
- rest
- sneak
- squint
- visual
See more results »