stare
[verb]
Synonyms: gaze, gape, gawk, gawp (Brit. slang), goggle, look, watch

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Related Idioms: take a gander at, fix (or rivet) one's eyes on

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English Thesaurus: look, glance, glimpse, gaze, stare, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. stare¹ S3 W2 /steə $ ster/ verb [intransitive]
[Language: Old English; Origin: starian]

1. to look at something or someone for a long time without moving your eyes, for example because you are surprised, angry, or bored
stare at
What are you staring at?
stare (at somebody) in disbelief/amazement/horror etc
She stared at me in disbelief.
She sat there staring into space (=looking for a long time at nothing).

2. be staring somebody in the face
a) informal if something is staring you in the face, it is very clear or easy to notice but you have not noticed it:
The solution was staring me right in the face all along.
b) to seem impossible to avoid:
Defeat was staring us in the face.
⇒ stark staring mad at stark²(2)
stare somebody out British English, stare somebody down American English phrasal verb
to look at someone for so long that they start to feel uncomfortable and look away

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. stare² noun [countable]
when you look at something for a long time in a steady way:
She gave him a long hard stare.
She laughed, ignoring the stares of everyone around her.
His pleas were met by a blank stare (=a stare with no expression, understanding, or interest).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

stare
verb
ADV. fixedly, hard, intently, unblinkingly I could see a man staring at me intently.
steadily | impassively | absently, blankly, blearily, blindly, dully, sightlessly, uncomprehendingly, unseeingly, vacantly She stared blankly at the brick wall in front of her.
dazedly, disbelievingly, incredulously, open-mouthed, wide-eyed, wildly I stared at him open-mouthed, unable to speak.
bleakly, gloomily, glumly, grimly, helplessly, hopelessly, morosely He stared at me bleakly and said nothing.
coldly, coolly, defiantly, fiercely, moodily, stonily She stared at him stonily as he came in.
curiously, quizzically, suspiciously, thoughtfully | silently, wordlessly | just, merely, simply | (for) a moment For a long moment they just stared at each other.
still He was still staring at himself in the mirror.
across, around/round, back, down, out, (straight) ahead, up She stared back at him. He stared straight ahead and did not move.
VERB + STARE can/could only She could only stare at him with pain in her eyes.
seem to | continue to | turn to Everyone in the room turned to stare at her.
pause to, stop to
PREP. across, after She stalked off, leaving them all staring after her.
around/round, at, in I stared in horror at his bloody mouth.
into, out of, through, with He just stared at her with disbelief.
PHRASES sit/stand staring, stand/stop and stare It was too cold to stand and stare.
stare into space She was just sitting there, staring into space.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stare

stare hard/intently (=very steadily, with a lot of attention)
She stared hard at him for a moment.
stare fixedly (=without moving your head or eyes)
Harry stared fixedly out of the window.
stare blankly (=without emotion, understanding, or interest)
Lucy stared blankly at the teacher.
stare unseeingly/blindly literary (=not noticing anything, although your eyes are open)
She sat down on the bed and stared unseeingly at the wall.
stare vacantly (=seeming not to notice or be thinking anything)
Mum was staring vacantly at the fire.
stare moodily (=rather unhappily)
He was staring moodily into his glass.
stare in disbelief/horror/amazement etc
Hilary stared in disbelief at the kitchen clock.
stare into space (=look for a long time at nothing)
Jo's always lying on the sofa staring into space.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

look an act of looking at something:
Let me have a look at the map.
I took a quick look around the room.
glance a quick look at something before looking away again:
Susan cast a quick glance at me (=she looked quickly at me).
He could not resist a sidelong glance (=quickly looking to the side) to see what was happening on the other side of the road.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
gaze a long steady look:
Eddie fixed his gaze on the floor.
She looked up and met his gaze (=looked at him when he was looking at her).
stare a long direct look, especially in an unfriendly way or in a way that shows you are surprised:
He was watching me with a cold stare.
My cheery ‘Good Morning’ was met with a blank stare (=a stare which shows no emotion).
glare an angry look at someone:
She gave him a hostile glare as he entered the room.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
give somebody a stare
Doyle gave her a long stare.
fix somebody with a stare literary (=stare at someone)
He fixed her with a cool stare.
return sb’s stare (=stare back at them)
I returned his stare and he looked away.
meet sb’s stare (=look back at them)
Alan met Susan’s outraged stare calmly.
a hard stare (=very steady, with a lot of attention)
As he passed, he gave us a hard stare.
a long stare
The man fixed him with a long, deliberate stare.
a blank stare (=showing no emotion, understanding, or interest)
Mention his name, and you get mostly blank stares.
a vacant stare (=seeming not to notice or be thinking anything)
She was gazing out of the window with a vacant stare.
a fixed/unwavering/unblinking stare (=with your eyes not moving at all)
His unwavering stare was making me feel pretty uneasy.
a cold/stony stare (=unfriendly)
I smiled and said "hello" but only got a cold stare.
a cool stare (=calm)
When I expressed surprise, he responded with a cool stare.
curious stares
They ignored the curious stares directed at them.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
give something/somebody a glance
He gave Imran a quick glance.
take a glance (also have a glance British English)
She took a quick glance around the office.
cast/throw a glance (=look quickly)
She cast a shy glance toward Shelby.
shoot a glance (=look extremely quickly)
He shot a glance at Ellen, making sure she understood him.
steal a glance (=look quickly and secretly)
Alice stole a quick glance in the mirror to check her hair.
exchange glances (=look at each other quickly)
Mai exchanged glances with Tatsuya.
sb’s glance falls on something (=someone looks at something)
Geoff’s glance fell on the broken vase.
a quick/brief glance
I had little time for more than a quick glance around the house.
a cursory glance (=a very quick look without much attention to details)
I cast a cursory glance over the clothes.
a fleeting glance (=a very quick look)
Stephen exchanged a fleeting glance with his father.
a backwards glance
He took a quick backwards glance at the house, and then continued walking.
a sidelong/sideways glance (=a way of looking by moving your eyes to the side)
Christina gave her husband a sidelong glance.
a casual glance (=without any serious interest or attention)
The bench would have been difficult to see by a casual glance.
a meaningful glance (=clearly showing what you think)
They exchanged meaningful glances.
a furtive glance (=a quick secret look)
Della gave Chris a furtive glance.
a nervous glance
He shot a nervous glance at his wife.
a warning glance
She cast a warning glance at Elena.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

look to turn your eyes towards someone or something, so that you can see them:
You should never look directly at the sun.
After a while, he turned and looked at me.
have/take a look especially spoken to look at something quickly, especially in order to find or check something:
I’ll have a look in my desk.
Take a look at this!
glance to look at someone or something for a short time and then look quickly away:
Damien glanced nervously at his watch.
peek/peep (also take a peek/peep) to look quickly at something. Used especially when you are not supposed to look, or when you are looking through a small gap:
The door was open so he peeked inside.
Katy peeped at her birthday present on the table.
peer to look very carefully, especially because you cannot see well:
Kenji was peering at the screen.
glare to look at someone in an angry way:
She glared at me as I got up to leave.
stare to look at someone or something for a long time without moving your eyes:
It’s rude to stare.
She stared straight into the camera.
gaze to look at someone or something for a long time, often without realizing that you are doing it:
She gazed out of the window.
He lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling.
gape to look at someone or something for a long time, usually with your mouth open, because you are very shocked or surprised:
People gaped at him with wide-open mouths.
regard formal to look at someone or something, especially in a particular way:
He regarded her steadily.
lower/drop your gaze (=look down)
Her eyes met his and she immediately dropped her gaze.
avert your gaze (=look away)
Miller averted his eyes from the beggars that lined the streets.
meet sb’s gaze (=look at someone who is looking at you)
He said nothing, but met her gaze.
hold sb’s gaze (=keep looking at someone who is looking at you)
He held her gaze for a few seconds, then continued eating.
avoid sb’s gaze (=not look at someone)
I avoided his gaze and just looked out of the window.
fix your gaze on somebody/something (=look at someone or something continuously)
He fixed his gaze on the wall behind her.
keep your gaze (fixed) on somebody/something (=keep looking at someone or something)
I kept my gaze fixed on the television and didn’t look at him as he left the room.
sb’s gaze falls on somebody/something (=someone looks at someone or something)
Fisher’s gaze fell on Mr. Grant.
sb’s gaze moves/travels/shifts/sweeps etc
His gaze travelled over the still water to the other side of the lake.
a steady gaze (=a look in which you do not look away)
Jess felt embarrassed under his steady gaze.
an intense gaze (=when someone looks at someone or something with concentration)
His intense gaze never left Delaney.
a piercing gaze (=a look that seems to see what you are thinking)
He fixed the boy with a piercing gaze and waited for his response.
a steely gaze (=a determined look)
He fixed a steely gaze on his opponent.
glimpse a short look at someone or something in which you do not see them very clearly:
Fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of the singer as he left the hotel.
I had only a fleeting glimpse (=a very quick look) of the two men as they ran away.
frown a confused or annoyed look:
‘Anyway,’ she said with a frown, ‘I don’t see how there could be a connection.’

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲