ogle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
ogles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ogled,
past participle, past
-
ogling
present participle
-
to look at amorously, flirtatiously, or impertinently.
-
to eye; look or stare at.
verb (used without object)
-
ogles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ogled,
past participle, past
-
ogling
present participle
-
to look amorously, flirtatiously, or impertinently.
-
to look or stare.
noun
verb
-
to look at (someone) amorously or lustfully
-
(tr) to stare or gape at
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
oglesimple
-
oglessimple
-
have ogledperfect
-
has ogledperfect
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am oglingprogressive
-
are oglingprogressive
-
is oglingprogressive
-
have been oglingperfect progressive
-
has been oglingperfect progressive
Past
-
ogledsimple
-
had ogledperfect
-
was oglingprogressive
-
were oglingprogressive
-
had been oglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ogle
1670–80; apparently < Dutch, frequentative ( see -le) of oogen to make eyes at, derivative of oog eye (compare Low German oegeln, German äugeln )
Explanation
When you ogle someone, you look at them with love or desire in mind. And if you're a cartoon character, you might also be drooling. Though it's most often used to refer to the way people gaze at each other, the verb ogle can also be used when talking about any object of desire — like when you ogle those designer jeans or that red Ferrari. The word comes from the 1680s German word oeglen, meaning "look at." Men are known to ogle women much more frequently than women ogle men. Ever seen a scene in a movie where a pretty lady walks into a bar and all the men turn on their bar stools to watch her pass by? That's classic ogling.
Vocabulary lists containing ogle
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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.
See Examples For:
Nearly half a million people were expected to pass through the sprawling Javits Convention Center, from industry bigwigs to families just coming to ogle hundreds of new vehicles on display.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
Swarms of bird fanciers have been flocking to a west Orange County neighborhood to ogle a snowy owl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2022
Well, at least we can ogle some pics and see how the strange looks of the Pixel 6 will evolve.
From The Verge ● May 11, 2022
Before the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of visitors traveled to Hokkaido from the rest of Asia, Europe and the United States to ogle and photograph the birds.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
Ralph could only ogle, though, helpless with envy, as Grover balled up his napkin.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
In the 1988 movie “Working Girl,” an assistant secretly stays at her absent boss’ apartment, ogles its opulence alongside her best friend and tries on a dress with a $6,000 price tag.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
The Emcee’s funhouse reflection signifies not only how straight culture ogles the novelty of a newly surfaced queer society in Weimar Berlin but also how that queer community ogles at the novelty of itself.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2025
In another short scene, he ogles electric guitars through a shop window.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2019
Rachel is also a fantasist: She ogles another couple, dreaming about their lives.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2016
Nay, I shall match her in philosophical ogles, 'faith!—that's my talent: I can talk best, you must know, when I say nothing.
From The Inconstant by George Farquhar
During a timeout, the fans danced to Bruno Mars, pounded their white noisemakers, ogled a courtside Kim Kardashian and eventually locked arms and swayed to “Don’t Stop Believing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2024
Throngs of mostly male visitors ogled displays of the latest in horsepower and luxury from Wolfsburg, Munich and Stuttgart.
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2021
The spectroscopy data—arcane squiggles on line graphs—still have a long way to go before being ogled for any beautiful mysteries revealed.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 19, 2018
And now a selection of these forks – in all their greasy, grimy glory – are ready to be ogled by the rest of us.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2016
Young children ogled at them when they appeared because it was unimaginable, even by the standards of children, to find anyone as dirty as these men were.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
A TV commercial featured two guys in a beat-up muscle car ogling a Ram truck at a stoplight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
And when people are ogling the night sky this week, they should also keep an eye out for two additional celestial sightings — Saturn and the appearance of an ancient Oort cloud comet, she added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
Food journalists and major publications aren’t supporting specific Filipino chefs, their cookbooks or their upcoming projects — they’re solely ogling at the cuisine.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2024
She notices that great artworks, when surrounded by throngs of ogling tourists, can emit a sense of being “victimized.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
Coal sat in the front passenger seat, ogling the bright, shiny dials in the car’s dash.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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