stare
Americanverb (used without object)
-
stares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stared,
past participle, past
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staring
present participle
-
to gaze fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.
-
to be boldly or obtrusively conspicuous.
The bright modern painting stares out at you in the otherwise conservative gallery.
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to be patently or compellingly obvious.
The stark, staring fact is, you can't do something with nothing.
-
(of hair, feathers, etc.) to stick out or stand on end; bristle.
Both male and female pheasants are rough-footed and have staring feathers around the head and neck.
verb (used with object)
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stares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stared,
past participle, past
-
staring
present participle
-
to stare at.
to stare a person up and down.
-
to effect or have a certain effect on by staring.
They all laughed at me and stared me into silence.
noun
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stares
plural
verb phrase
idioms
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stare (something) in the face, to confront or be confronted by (something unpleasant).
The company is staring bankruptcy in the face.
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stare one in the face,
-
(especially of something undesirable) to be patently or compellingly obvious.
Sounds like a far-fetched theory, but when the evidence is staring you in the face, you have to take notice.
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to be urgent or impending; be about to happen.
The income tax deadline is staring us in the face.
-
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staring down the barrel of,
-
having (a firearm) aimed at one, especially at close range.
He turned his head and found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle.
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facing (a threat, challenging situation, or imminent disaster).
Motorists are staring down the barrel of a major hike in the price of fuel.
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verb
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to look or gaze fixedly, often with hostility or rudeness
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(intr) (of an animal's fur, bird's feathers, etc) to stand on end because of fear, ill health, etc
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(intr) to stand out as obvious; glare
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to be glaringly obvious or imminent
noun
noun
Synonym Usage
See gaze.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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staresimple
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staressimple
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have staredperfect
-
has staredperfect
-
am staringprogressive
-
are staringprogressive
-
is staringprogressive
-
have been staringperfect progressive
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has been staringperfect progressive
Past
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staredsimple
-
had staredperfect
-
was staringprogressive
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were staringprogressive
-
had been staringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stare
First recorded before 900; Middle English staren, Old English starian; cognate with Dutch staren, German starren, Old Norse stara; akin to stark, starve
Explanation
To stare is to fix your eyes on a subject. As hard as it might be to resist looking at them for long periods of time, it's not polite to stare at celebrities. The noun stare is a certain kind of gaze — a long, intense one. The verb to stare is the act of staring, of locking one's eyes somewhere. When one stares at something, one looks at it for a long period of time, often with great intensity and without blinking. That's why one loses a staring contest when one blinks. Try not to stare at people when they're eating. It's rude! A stare is usually more intense and creepier than a gaze.
Vocabulary lists containing stare
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
How long can we all stare at hand-held rectangles?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Circled by a verdant reproduction of an enchanted forest, and dressed in a black swan-like two-piece by Ann Demeulemeester, Zardoya held the audience captive with her purring soprano and vampy stare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
"You have to literally stay on duty and stare at the screen the whole time, because you can easily miss it," said Esko, who did not appear to struggle, even late into the night.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
A partial eclipse like the one the UK experienced on Wednesday meant the sun was still pretty bright, so far fewer people may have tried to stare at it directly.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
We drink quietly and stare at each other.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Governments need to recognize regulatory capture when it stares them in the face.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
“If somebody is giving you any kind of stares or conflict, you’ve got to talk to the staff. You can’t use your fists or your feet,” Kaye said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Elsewhere in Washington, the now-defunct US Institute of Peace was renamed after Trump, and his face stares down from huge banners outside the Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
The screens behind both goals flashed up images of Scotland fans and their 1000-yard stares.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Alex stares at the door, nervously tapping his foot and chewing on his lip.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
“No matter how many daggers we stared at her, she was unfazed,” said Osada, a graphic designer and occasional live-music photographer who lives in Sunderland, England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
In 2000, he stared alongside American actress Kathleen Turner in the West End production of The Graduate.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Instead, I picked around fish bones and stared at the mess I had made behind me.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Next to the damaged station, dozens of onlookers stared at the flames roaring from the vehicle amid shards of glass and rubble, AFP journalists observed.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
She stared at me for a long moment.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Airlines, U.S. airlines included, are staring at tougher decisions ahead, said George Ferguson, global head of aerospace, defense and airline research at Bloomberg Intelligence.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
He had spent a year fighting for the merger and was staring down the prospect of costly fees the company had agreed to in order to clinch the deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
But it meant that as we sat down, with oil paintings of Earl Spencer's aristocratic ancestors staring down at our TV lights, the interview was not just about his recollections of his sister.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Listen to your body” is lovely advice until you are neurodivergent, burned out, staring into the refrigerator at 8:17 p.m. or otherwise unable to locate your body’s supposedly innate wisdom about dinner.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
As night fell and the cold came on, he sat staring into the fire.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
