- a variation of lehr.
leer
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
leers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leered,
past participle, past
-
leering
present participle
noun
-
leers
plural
adjective
-
having no burden or load.
-
faint for lack of food; hungry.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
leersimple
-
leerssimple
-
have leeredperfect
-
has leeredperfect
-
am leeringprogressive
-
are leeringprogressive
-
is leeringprogressive
-
have been leeringperfect progressive
-
has been leeringperfect progressive
Past
-
leeredsimple
-
had leeredperfect
-
was leeringprogressive
-
were leeringprogressive
-
had been leeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of leer1
First recorded in 1520–30; perhaps verb use of obsolete noun leer “cheek” ( Middle English leor, Old English hlēor; cognate with Old Norse hlȳr (plural))
Origin of leer2
before 1050; Middle English lere, Old English gelǣr; cognate with German leer empty
Explanation
A leer is an unpleasant facial expression. A leer means the person doesn't like you, or even worse, does — in a creepy way. Leer can also be used as a verb, meaning "to look at someone with a suggestive, rude, or contemptuous expression." Your sworn enemy might leer at you whenever you enter a room to express scorn and superiority. Leer derives from the Old English word hleor, meaning "the face or the cheek."
Vocabulary lists containing leer
Where the Red Fern Grows
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Warriors Don't Cry
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
My remarks moved an apoplectic plaintiff’s lawyer to point across the room at his opposing counsel, leer in my direction, and ask, “So are you accusing me of colluding with him?”
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
"Ahhh did Emmy pee her pants?" they leer.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2022
The dominant smile is layered in meaning; it’s an expression associated with feelings of superiority and pride but still more friendly than a frown or a leer.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
He was similarly positive about the film's villain as Lyutsifer Safin, writing: "Rami Malek, with mottled skin, an all-seeing leer, and the caressing voice of a depraved monk, makes him a hypnotic creep."
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2021
It was a taut leer, an evil thing, more threatening than a look of rage.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
There I sit as he leers a smile reserved for me, lecturing on the fine nuances of human behavior.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 17, 2018
Jim Morrison, now dead 46 years, leers, taunts and preens from every angle.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 5, 2017
He twinkles and leers with commendable grace, introducing his loyal cast of egocentric players as they take the stage to enact the story of love, betrayal and, just possibly, murder.
From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2012
Mop-wigged Brent Hinkley romps, leers and honks a great Harpo.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2012
“You know what my father always says, Todd Hewitt?” he leers up at me.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
She has also endured a filming where Donald Trump openly leered at her and another where she seems to suppress a flinch when her own husband touches her knee.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Or worse, he leered at it, encouraged it.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2021
Lying to her family and leered at by the police, Alice has no option but to fend for herself.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2018
It leered at Bertha and Mabel with a sloppy grin and cloudy blue eyes.
From Nature ● Aug. 28, 2018
As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
At the gym, located in Garden Grove, Hansen says they were met with unwelcoming and leering stares before entering the facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
The final shot is one of the most foreboding in Hollywood history, with Nazis in uniform reflected in the cabaret’s distorted mirror, leering from the VIP seats at the front of the stage.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025
There are T-shirts, phones, watches, furniture, clocks, slippers, tents, wallets, trading cards, eye shadow and roller skates with Garfield’s leering image.
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024
He added it was a "privilege and honour" to be now playing the leering, flamboyant Emcee in "this incredible show".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2023
I saw the gunner’s face full in the light, his mouth curled into a leering grin, his eyes depthless and blank.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
