stare down

Idioms  

1. Cause someone to waver or give in by or as if by being stared at. For example, Insisting on a better room, he stared down the manager until he got it. This expression alludes to staring at someone without being the first to blink or lower one's gaze. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

Fury - who had the infamous 11-minute and 20-second stare down with Usyk before their second fight 16 months ago - shared just a short seven-second face-off with Makhmudov, before the 36-year-old left the stage.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Meantime, holiday travelers will stare down an average nationwide gasoline price of $4.08 a gallon, and pay airfares that have skyrocketed with energy costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

I’m sadly reminded of colleagues who never recovered, a sobering thought as we stare down the barrel of yet another employment crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

By taking on Brontë’s book, Fennell was doomed to stare down millions of overly pedantic literature sticklers, people who prefer their adaptations pure and untainted.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

I stare down the building’s steel girders and black windows, all the way to the cracked sidewalk.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth