stare

[ stair ]

/ stɛər /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stare ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), stared, star·ing.

to gaze fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.

to be boldly or obtrusively conspicuous: The bright modern painting stares out at you in the otherwise conservative gallery.

(of hair, feathers, etc.) to stand on end; bristle.

verb (used with object), stared, star·ing.

to stare at: to stare a person up and down.

to effect or have a certain effect on by staring: to stare one out of countenance.

noun

a staring gaze; a fixed look with the eyes wide open: The banker greeted him with a glassy stare.

Verb Phrases

stare down, to cause to become uncomfortable by gazing steadily at one; overcome by staring: A nonsmoker at the next table tried to stare me down.

Nearby words

Idioms

stare one in the face, to be urgent or impending; confront: The income-tax deadline is staring us in the face.

Origin of stare

before 900; Middle English staren, Old English starian; cognate with Dutch staren, German starren, Old Norse stara; akin to stark, starve

SYNONYMS FOR stare

1 See gaze.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stare ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsstar·er, nounstar·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stare

Then he's quiet, while I, nonplussed, just stare until he adds, “The camera must never move.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The teen refused to drop his knife, according to officers, fixed them with “a 100-yard stare,” and walked toward them.
The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown|Nina Strochlic|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Strong, young, crisply uniformed, he or she would shake, sigh, stare blankly, or cry, recounting variations of this statement.
Bergdahl’s Bitter Homecoming: The Psychological Cost of War|Jean Kim|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Over green tea, Than Gyi told us about her village, interrupting herself frequently to stare at us and laugh.
A Little Too Off the Beaten Path in Burma|Katya Cengel|June 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We stare in the mirror, we compare ourselves with digitally enhanced images of perfect women, and feel all wrong.
Nicole Kidman Botox Insanity: Why All Women Lose Out When We Obsess Over Stars’ Faces|Emma Woolf|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The stare of the wretched creature deepened into a fierce and maddened glare.
The Sword of Damocles|Anna Katharine Green
They passed, and I crept out into the road again, to stare after them.
The Adventures of Harry Revel|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
I had not been on this spot, that I can remember, for thirty years, and I could not but stop and stare and wonder.
Some Reminiscences of old Victoria|Edgar Fawcett
With that John begun to stare, and at last he bust out a larfin again.
Highlife in New York: a series of letters to Mr. Zephariah Slick,|Ann S. Stephens
He did not notice that his face and manners caused many a customer to stare in astonishment.
Bambi|Marjorie Benton Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for stare (1 of 2)

stare

/ (stɛə) /

verb

(intr often foll by at) to look or gaze fixedly, often with hostility or rudeness

(intr) (of an animal's fur, bird's feathers, etc) to stand on end because of fear, ill health, etc

(intr) to stand out as obvious; glare

stare one in the face to be glaringly obvious or imminent

noun

the act or an instance of staring

Derived Formsstarer, noun

Word Origin for stare

Old English starian; related to Old Norse stara, Old High German starēn to stare, Greek stereos stiff, Latin consternāre to confuse

British Dictionary definitions for stare (2 of 2)

stare

/ (stɛə) /

noun

dialect a starling

Word Origin for stare

Old English stær

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stare (1 of 2)

stare

Old English starian "to look fixedly at," from Proto-Germanic *star- "be rigid" (cf. Old Norse stara, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch staren, Old High German staren, German starren "to stare at;" German starren "to stiffen," starr "stiff;" Old Norse storr "proud;" Old High German storren "to stand out, project;" Gothic andstaurran "to be obstinate"), from PIE root *ster- "strong, firm, stiff, rigid" (cf. Lithuanian storas "thick," stregti "to become frozen;" Sanskrit sthirah "hard, firm;" Persian suturg "strong;" Old Church Slavonic staru "old;" cf. sterile and torpor). Not originally implying rudeness. Related: Stared; staring.

Word Origin and History for stare (1 of 2)

stare

"starling," from Old English (see starling).

stare

verb (used without object), stared, star·ing.

verb (used with object), stared, star·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of stare

Examples from the Web for stare

British Dictionary definitions for stare (1 of 2)

stare

verb

noun

Word Origin for stare

British Dictionary definitions for stare (2 of 2)

stare

noun

Word Origin for stare

Word Origin and History for stare (1 of 2)

stare

Word Origin and History for stare (1 of 2)

stare