gaze

American  

[geyz] / geɪz /

verb (used without object)

gazes, present (3rd person singular) gazed, past participle, past gazing present participle

1. to look steadily and intently, as with great curiosity, interest, pleasure, or wonder.

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noun

1. a steady or intent look.

2. Heraldry. at gaze, (of a deer or deerlike animal) represented as seen from the side with the head looking toward the spectator.

   a stag at gaze.

gaze British  

/ ɡeɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to look long and fixedly, esp in wonder or admiration

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noun

1. a fixed look; stare

Synonym Usage

Gaze, stare, gape suggest looking fixedly at something. To gaze is to look steadily and intently at something, especially at that which excites admiration, curiosity, or interest: to gaze at scenery, at a scientific experiment. To stare is to gaze with eyes wide open, as from surprise, wonder, alarm, stupidity, or impertinence: to stare unbelievingly or rudely. Gape is a word with uncomplimentary connotations; it suggests open-mouthed, often ignorant or rustic wonderment or curiosity: to gape at a tall building or a circus parade.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outgaze
  verb (used with object)
• gazer
  noun
• gazingly
  adverb
• gazeless
  adjective
• ungazing
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have gazed
  perfect
• has gazed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• am gazing
  progressive 1st person singular
• is gazing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are gazing
  progressive
• has been gazing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been gazing
  perfect progressive
• gazes
  singular 3rd person
• gazing
  participle

Past

• had gazed
  perfect
• was gazing
  progressive singular
• had been gazing
  perfect progressive
• were gazing
  progressive plural
• gazed
  participle
• gazed
  simple

Future

• will gaze
  simple
• will have gazed
  perfect
• will have been gazing
  perfect progressive
• will be gazing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of gaze

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gasen; compare Norwegian, Swedish (dialect) gasa “to look”

Explanation

When someone lays eyes on you and keeps looking, it is a gaze or a stare. You can gaze back or just say, "Take a picture; it lasts longer." Gaze is both a verb and a noun. When people daydream, they often gaze off into the distance without focusing on anything. Another type of gaze, though, is to look very intently at something, as when you gaze at the sky making pictures out of clouds. A contest to see who will blink first means taking a long gaze into someone's eyes, and this type of gaze (the noun) will leave your eyes in a bit of a haze when you're done.

Example Sentences

Summer brings the perfect opportunity to get outside and gaze up at the night sky.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

But Barker only glances at a few relevant themes before turning his gaze just when things are getting interesting.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

Fund manager Tony Wang, who has been consistently early to some of the biggest tech names, is casting his gaze upward these days.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

In her office, she leaned forward to gaze into patients’ eyes, screamed with them, fell to the floor with them, and helped them discover inner resources they didn’t know they had.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Another pang of loneliness shot through me as my gaze drifted toward my old table.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows