squint

American  

[skwint] / skwɪnt /

verb (used without object)

• squints,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squinted,
  past participle,  past
• squinting
  present participle

1. to look with the eyes partly closed.

2. Ophthalmology. to be affected with strabismus; be cross-eyed.

3. to look or glance obliquely or sidewise; look askance.

4. to make or have an indirect reference to or bearing on; tend or incline toward (usually followed by toward, at, etc.).

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verb (used with object)

• squints,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squinted,
  past participle,  past
• squinting
  present participle

1. to close (the eyes) partly in looking.

   The baby squinted his eyes at the bright lights.

2. to cause to squint; cause to look obliquely.

noun

1. an act or instance of squinting.

2. Ophthalmology. a condition of the eye consisting in noncoincidence of the optic axes; strabismus.

3. Informal. a quick glance.

   Let me have a squint at that paper.

4. a looking obliquely or askance.

5. an indirect reference.

6. an inclination or tendency, especially an oblique or perverse one.

7. Also called hagioscope.  (in a church) a small opening in a wall giving a view of the altar.

adjective

1. looking obliquely; looking with a side glance; looking askance.

2. Ophthalmology. (of the eyes) affected with strabismus.

squint British  

/ skwɪnt /

verb

1. (usually intr) to cross or partly close (the eyes)

2. (intr) to have a squint

3. (intr) to look or glance sideways or askance

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noun

1. the nontechnical name for strabismus

2. the act or an instance of squinting; glimpse

3. Also called: hagioscope.  a narrow oblique opening in a wall or pillar of a church to permit a view of the main altar from a side aisle or transept

4. informal a quick look; glance

adjective

1. having a squint

2. informal crooked; askew

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squinter
  noun
• squintingness
  noun
• squinty
  adjective
• unsquinting
  adjective
• squintingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• squinting
  present
• squinted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• squint
  simple
• squints
  simple
• have squinted
  perfect
• has squinted
  perfect
• am squinting
  progressive
• are squinting
  progressive
• is squinting
  progressive
• have been squinting
  perfect progressive
• has been squinting
  perfect progressive

Past

• squinted
  simple
• had squinted
  perfect
• was squinting
  progressive
• were squinting
  progressive
• had been squinting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will squint
  simple
• will have squinted
  perfect
• will be squinting
  progressive
• will have been squinting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of squint

First recorded in 1350–1400 as an adverb “with a squint; askant,” and 1570–80 for adjective senses; Middle English; variant of asquint

Explanation

You squint when you squeeze your eyes almost shut. If you are trying to see something far away, you will probably squint while you strain your eyes to see more clearly. When the sun shines brilliantly through the car windshield, the driver will squint, or squeeze her eyes almost shut against the bright light. This is probably a good moment for the driver to grab her sunglasses! You'll squint when a light is suddenly turned on in a dark room, and you might also squint when you're trying to read tiny type on a food label or medicine bottle. The expression on your face, and the action of doing this, are both called a squint as well. Squint comes from the now rare adverb asquint, or "from the corner of the eyes."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squint squints squinted squinting

If you squint and look at him one way, he seems like a moderate, but look at him from another angle, and he seems super progressive.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

It takes great courage to look into the past with clear eyes, especially when what you’ll see is bound to remain hazy, forcing you to squint and carve out whatever truth you can from it.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

A scan detected the benign mass on his brain after he developed a slight squint and suffered occasional painful headaches.

From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2026

That may be due in part to the fact that, if you squint, it turns out that a film crew is similar enough to an F1 team to fit right in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

I squint against the sun and peer between the guards to see David grinning madly and waving, sweat gleaming across his brown skin.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

The messages ricochet across an Iowa grocery store, a kind of ambient chorus while, at one of the few remaining manned checkout lines, a cashier squints at his screen.

From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2026

But such squints are a poor substitute for certainty; greater clarity may come from JWST’s measurement of how much iron the nebula holds.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 10, 2023

She squints her eyes, trying to find her young self in the pictures.

From Reuters ● Jan. 26, 2023

But Martina Becker, a manager at HGK shipping, squints out at the river and looks concerned.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2022

Albert squints, which makes me wonder if he’s actually mad.

From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

It was a place where diners squinted at fading celebrity glossies on the wall and said, “Isn’t that the guy who—?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

My head was tilted at an angle that brought the odometer into view, so I squinted: It was about to hit a half-million.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

At times if you squinted, it really looked like the varsity versus the JV.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

Social platforms, particularly X, were fled or ignored; political headlines squinted at and passed over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2025

Owen squinted at him, waiting long moments for him to say or do something.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

“Constant squinting, reduced blinking and rubbing the eyes due to eyestrain can accelerate laxity and puffiness.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026

The oldest video on her YouTube is titled “11 year old sings titanium” and, sure enough, shows a young Murph squinting into the camera as she performs Sia and David Guetta’s 2011 stadium-rave jam.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025

Outside, a woman called Pat from Manchester was squinting at the sun and gathering her thoughts.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025

I’d follow a recipe to the letter and still end up squinting at the oven door, trying to gauge whether I’d accidentally created something leaden or gummy or wrong.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2025

“I’m not sure,” Natalie said, squinting at him thoughtfully.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

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