squint
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to look with the eyes partly closed.
-
Ophthalmology. to be affected with strabismus; be cross-eyed.
-
to look or glance obliquely or sidewise; look askance.
-
to make or have an indirect reference to or bearing on; tend or incline toward (usually followed by toward, at, etc.).
verb (used with object)
-
to close (the eyes) partly in looking.
The baby squinted his eyes at the bright lights.
-
to cause to squint; cause to look obliquely.
noun
-
an act or instance of squinting.
-
Ophthalmology. a condition of the eye consisting in noncoincidence of the optic axes; strabismus.
-
Informal. a quick glance.
Let me have a squint at that paper.
-
a looking obliquely or askance.
-
an indirect reference.
-
an inclination or tendency, especially an oblique or perverse one.
-
Also called hagioscope. (in a church) a small opening in a wall giving a view of the altar.
adjective
-
looking obliquely; looking with a side glance; looking askance.
-
Ophthalmology. (of the eyes) affected with strabismus.
verb
-
(usually intr) to cross or partly close (the eyes)
-
(intr) to have a squint
-
(intr) to look or glance sideways or askance
noun
-
the nontechnical name for strabismus
-
the act or an instance of squinting; glimpse
-
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
-
informal a quick look; glance
adjective
-
having a squint
-
informal crooked; askew
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
squintsimple
-
squintssimple
-
have squintedperfect
-
has squintedperfect
-
am squintingprogressive
-
are squintingprogressive
-
is squintingprogressive
-
have been squintingperfect progressive
-
has been squintingperfect progressive
Past
-
squintedsimple
-
had squintedperfect
-
was squintingprogressive
-
were squintingprogressive
-
had been squintingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing squint
The Lingo of Body Language
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!
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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!
"Raymond's Run"
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:
It takes great courage to look into the past with clear eyes, especially when what you’ll see is bound to remain hazy, forcing you to squint and carve out whatever truth you can from it.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
A scan detected the benign mass on his brain after he developed a slight squint and suffered occasional painful headaches.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2026
You could, if you squint, wonder how this year’s consumer grievances differ from prior years.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025
Like those optical puzzles, if you squint the right way, the entire picture changes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
“My mom loves Mamou,” he said, and his squint was back.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
The messages ricochet across an Iowa grocery store, a kind of ambient chorus while, at one of the few remaining manned checkout lines, a cashier squints at his screen.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2026
From her home deep in Upper Coquetdale, Sam Wood squints into the sun as she looks up the narrow silvery road which winds up the valley where many farming families have lived for generations.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 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
She squints at me and then releases him to my outstretched arms.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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
At times if you squinted, it really looked like the varsity versus the JV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
If she squinted at the doorway, past the palm tree, over the pool and to the mountains, she could pretend that nothing bad had happened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2025
“The lawyers squinted in the desert sunlight and asked a great many questions about the progress and treatment of Ed Dwight and took notes.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
He squinted a smile in her direction, with only a touch of sneer.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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
While it can lead to squinting, eyes pointing in different directions, blinking a lot, or headaches, many children do not notice there is anything wrong and have no obvious symptoms.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 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
Holding the needle at arm’s length and squinting.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
