stare down

Idioms  

1. Cause someone to waver or give in by or as if by being stared at. For example, Insisting on a better room, he stared down the manager until he got it. This expression alludes to staring at someone without being the first to blink or lower one's gaze. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stare down

It’s not enough for a film to explain its meaning; it must also say something about that message and its broader significance to stare down the “classic” label.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Meantime, holiday travelers will stare down an average nationwide gasoline price of $4.08 a gallon, and pay airfares that have skyrocketed with energy costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

Ben Stokes's men will have to produce something extra special as they stare down the barrel of a 435-run target for victory.

From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025

Yaroslavsky agreed, saying that charging less than the true cost of trash collection is “bad budgeting, especially as we stare down a billion-dollar deficit.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2025

I pull out my silver sun pendant and stare down at it, rubbing a tarnished point.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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