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

While brave founders voted for liberty, the general had to stare down the British army.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 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

But what once looked like first-mover advantage increasingly looks like a liability as investors stare down a crypto winter.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

Yaroslavsky agreed, saying that charging less than the true cost of trash collection is “bad budgeting, especially as we stare down a billion-dollar deficit.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025

Char tries to stare down Miss Saunders, only you can tell Miss Saunders ain’t backing off.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake