gaze
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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a steady or intent look.
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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.
verb
noun
Related Words
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing gaze
NAEP Test Words
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The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
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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.
Appeared in the March 18, 2026, print edition as 'Casting a Female Gaze on Fear'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Gaze following can help an animal identify predators or see what tasty treats their same-species competitor has discovered, among other useful things.
From Salon • Sep. 13, 2024
Last week, he announced his first solo world tour, Ephemeral Gaze, and shortly after revealed his fifth mini-album, “Eternal,” drops Aug. 19.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2024
Gaze around the next time you’re stuck in traffic and see if you’re not surprised, maybe even a little saddened, by the monochromatic sea around you.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2024
But then I look up and catch Daddy giving me what I call the Great Gaze.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
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.
