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.
Pickett believes that "a huge amount is learned about re-examining events and history through the female gaze, particularly women who weren't of note".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
His upturned eyes express calm wonder as his gaze meets that of the infant Jesus.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
And he has said he has been able "to gaze on some of the most marvellous spectacles that the wild places of the world have to offer".
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Altman, seated at the front bench behind the defendants’ table, directed his gaze right at Musk.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Anna May lifted her gaze from the abacus, her own pencil-thin brows lifting and her dark eyes flashing.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
