stare
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.
to be patently or compellingly obvious: The stark, staring fact is, you can't do something with nothing.
(of hair, feathers, etc.) to stick out or stand on end; bristle: Both male and female pheasants are rough-footed and have staring feathers around the head and neck.
to stare at: to stare a person up and down.
to effect or have a certain effect on by staring: They all laughed at me and stared me into silence.
a staring gaze; a fixed look with the eyes wide open: The banker greeted him with a glassy stare.
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.
Idioms about stare
stare one in the face,
(especially of something undesirable) to be patently or compellingly obvious: Sounds like a far-fetched theory, but when the evidence is staring you in the face, you have to take notice.
to be urgent or impending; be about to happen: The income tax deadline is staring us in the face.
stare (something) in the face, to confront or be confronted by (something unpleasant): The company is staring bankruptcy in the face.
staring down the barrel of,
having (a firearm) aimed at one, especially at close range: He turned his head and found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle.
facing (a threat, challenging situation, or imminent disaster): Motorists are staring down the barrel of a major hike in the price of fuel.
Origin of stare
1synonym study For stare
Other words from stare
- star·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stare in a sentence
There were stares, gestures, and quiet conversations at the desk.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything | Liz Seccuro | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Social media is going to solve this crime,” he says, before facing a firing squad of death stares from his colleagues.
‘Newsroom’ Premiere: Aaron Sorkin Puts CNN on Blast Over the Boston Bombing | Kevin Fallon | November 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe rests lavishly, depicted in a marble sarcophagus that stares up for eternity at the carved depictions of his life story.
Bakari reaches out, strokes Bundy's cheek and stares into his eyes longingly.
Of course, the jokes, the nomenclature, the people doing the creepy but supposed to be funny stares, are almost always men.
As Alice stares around her, when they stop in such momentary alarm, how strange the scene looks!
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuMarry, let an honest man lack their assistance, and starving stares him in the face, for want of a recommendation.
The Battle of Hexham; | George ColmanHe rubs his heart, takes out his match and looks at it, and then stares round the room again.
First Plays | A. A. MilneOne of the ladies advances, lorgnette in hand, and stares boldly at the prisoner.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander BerkmanBut the implacable Venus stares through the world with her steady marble eyes.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life | Thophile Gautier
British Dictionary definitions for stare (1 of 2)
/ (stɛə) /
(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
the act or an instance of staring
Origin of stare
1Derived forms of stare
- starer, noun
British Dictionary definitions for stare (2 of 2)
/ (stɛə) /
dialect a starling
Origin of stare
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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