stargaze
Americanverb (used without object)
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to gaze at or observe the stars.
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to daydream.
verb
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to observe the stars
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to daydream
Usage
What does stargaze mean? To stargaze figuratively means to daydream, as in Staring at the whiteboard, Miguel was stargazing and didn’t hear anything the teacher said. Someone is said to be stargazing when they are staring at nothing, deep in thought. They may be staring out a window, out onto the horizon, or at something without really seeing it. Literally, to stargaze means to observe the stars. You might do this by going outside at night, away from lights, and just looking up at the stars. Some people stargaze as a hobby, meaning they track and observe patterns of the stars in the sky. They might use telescopes or binoculars or just their eyes. Stargaze is also used as an informal term for scientific research involving the solar system and outer space. By extension, sometimes astronomers, astronauts, and astrophysicists might be referred to as stargazers. Stargaze can also be used to mean to observe the stars in practicing astrology. Example: When Lauren is feeling sad and alone, she goes out to her backyard and stargazes for a bit.
Other Word Forms
- stargazer noun
- stargazing noun
Etymology
Origin of stargaze
First recorded in 1620–30; back formation from stargazer
Explanation
To stargaze is to observe the night sky. Whenever you search overhead for the Big Dipper or Orion, you stargaze. You can stargaze using just your eyes, or peer at the stars through a telescope — unless you're a professional astronomer, you're stargazing. The ideal place to stargaze is somewhere remote, far from city lights that pollute the dark night sky. The original use of this term was derogatory; it meant "practice astrology," or act as a fortune teller. Gradually, stargaze came to have a more benign meaning, literally "gaze at the stars."
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.
The kibbutz had a local pub, but there was little else to do at night other than stargaze and listen to jackals howling in the desert.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025
Perhaps that’s why a recent ranking by the betting website Action Network has some local astronomers scratching their heads over a decision to name California the best state in the nation to stargaze.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025
Soak in the tub, stargaze, hike on nearby trails or curl up with a good book in front of a crackling fire.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2024
Extremely bright satellites could ruin the entire field of view, like trying to stargaze when someone periodically shines a flashlight into your eyes.
From Science Daily • Oct. 3, 2023
You can stargaze while we are eating lunch.
From Out of the Depths A Romance of Reclamation by Brehm, George
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.
