squint

American  

[skwint] / skwɪnt /

verb (used without object)

• squints,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squinted,
  past participle,  past
• squinting
  present participle

1. to look with the eyes partly closed.

2. Ophthalmology. to be affected with strabismus; be cross-eyed.

3. to look or glance obliquely or sidewise; look askance.

4. to make or have an indirect reference to or bearing on; tend or incline toward (usually followed by toward, at, etc.).

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verb (used with object)

• squints,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squinted,
  past participle,  past
• squinting
  present participle

1. to close (the eyes) partly in looking.

   The baby squinted his eyes at the bright lights.

2. to cause to squint; cause to look obliquely.

noun

1. an act or instance of squinting.

2. Ophthalmology. a condition of the eye consisting in noncoincidence of the optic axes; strabismus.

3. Informal. a quick glance.

   Let me have a squint at that paper.

4. a looking obliquely or askance.

5. an indirect reference.

6. an inclination or tendency, especially an oblique or perverse one.

7. Also called hagioscope.  (in a church) a small opening in a wall giving a view of the altar.

adjective

1. looking obliquely; looking with a side glance; looking askance.

2. Ophthalmology. (of the eyes) affected with strabismus.

squint British  

/ skwɪnt /

verb

1. (usually intr) to cross or partly close (the eyes)

2. (intr) to have a squint

3. (intr) to look or glance sideways or askance

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noun

1. the nontechnical name for strabismus

2. the act or an instance of squinting; glimpse

3. Also called: hagioscope.  a narrow oblique opening in a wall or pillar of a church to permit a view of the main altar from a side aisle or transept

4. informal a quick look; glance

adjective

1. having a squint

2. informal crooked; askew

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squinter
  noun
• squintingness
  noun
• squinty
  adjective
• unsquinting
  adjective
• squintingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• squinting
  present
• squinted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• squint
  simple
• squints
  simple
• have squinted
  perfect
• has squinted
  perfect
• am squinting
  progressive
• are squinting
  progressive
• is squinting
  progressive
• have been squinting
  perfect progressive
• has been squinting
  perfect progressive

Past

• squinted
  simple
• had squinted
  perfect
• was squinting
  progressive
• were squinting
  progressive
• had been squinting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will squint
  simple
• will have squinted
  perfect
• will be squinting
  progressive
• will have been squinting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of squint

First recorded in 1350–1400 as an adverb “with a squint; askant,” and 1570–80 for adjective senses; Middle English; variant of asquint

Explanation

You squint when you squeeze your eyes almost shut. If you are trying to see something far away, you will probably squint while you strain your eyes to see more clearly. When the sun shines brilliantly through the car windshield, the driver will squint, or squeeze her eyes almost shut against the bright light. This is probably a good moment for the driver to grab her sunglasses! You'll squint when a light is suddenly turned on in a dark room, and you might also squint when you're trying to read tiny type on a food label or medicine bottle. The expression on your face, and the action of doing this, are both called a squint as well. Squint comes from the now rare adverb asquint, or "from the corner of the eyes."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squint squints squinted squinting

“With the starting pitching we have, if we have the ability to be more consistent with our offense, you can definitely squint and see a better club out there,” Mozeliak told me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

If you squint and look at him one way, he seems like a moderate, but look at him from another angle, and he seems super progressive.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

Dobbie, who is bald with light blue eyes and a noticeable squint, was last seen wearing white trainers, light blue ripped jeans, a salmon-coloured golf shirt and a light blue jumper.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

In part, that is because, if you squint, you can see its lineage in old-school food criticism.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

He’d stand up in the stern, the better to squint at the imaginary mooring.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Waiting lists for gynae mesh, children's squints, children's feeding tubes and cleft lip will also be tackled.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2025

But such squints are a poor substitute for certainty; greater clarity may come from JWST’s measurement of how much iron the nebula holds.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 10, 2023

She squints her eyes, trying to find her young self in the pictures.

From Reuters ● Jan. 26, 2023

The squints, frowns and chair shifts don't mislead, although the production's bombardment of cable news-style chyrons either gleefully do or say the quiet part out loud.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2022

She squints, then snatches it from me to have a closer look.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

My head was tilted at an angle that brought the odometer into view, so I squinted: It was about to hit a half-million.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Yet, as he squinted to read the small print on jars of Skippy sitting on the same shelf, the 68-year old made a more disappointing discovery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

Two women at a food stand squinted in the sunlight as they cooked whole chickens on a hot grill to serve with freshly made tortillas and beans and rice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2025

As the cars zoomed around the track, spectators squinted to decipher whose ride was whose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2025

Nathan squinted and could barely see a tiny white flame inside its clear angular walls.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Carlson is squinting as he asks his questions in a way that sounds naive and lets Huckabee fill the space.

From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2026

But once you have accepted the limitations and frustrations, the experience will justify squinting your eyes and straining your neck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

"She read the sign. She was squinting to see it. She laughed."

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2025

There was a large tree blocking my view of the trailhead when I visited in early April, but upon squinting at my map, I found it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025

Mama kept squinting into her face—Hanako sometimes felt like her mother was physically trying to get into her brain.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Related Words

• peek
• peep