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

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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

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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

But if you squint, you can see the outline of the type of stuff that always works.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 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

Of course, if you squint, you can see what interests Soderbergh in this set-up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

Travis is seldom as blunt in his daily interactions with people, who often squint and look past the instability that is so subtly rendered by Mr. De Niro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

I squint at bluish-purple specks way out past the skyscrapers.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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

In a frost-encrusted park in the east of Amsterdam, poet and equal rights activist Quinsy Gario squints in the afternoon sun.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2022

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

Russ squints through the screen for a moment before he returns my smile and says, “She finally contacted you.”

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

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

He looked at me quizzically and squinted: “Isn’t that the guy who wrote ‘L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024

I squinted my eyes real, real tight this time, into the thinnest, meanest slits possible, and sent telepathic messages to the workers like, Get away!

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

“I hear bands with new records out, and they’re horrible,” Benante says, squinting his eyes and grimacing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

Outside, a woman called Pat from Manchester was squinting at the sun and gathering her thoughts.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025

But the memory is that flower smell, the glare of the glass, squinting to see my sister on her side with her dolls, and the birds in between sitting safe in their orchard.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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