staring

American  

[stair-ing] / ˈstɛər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. gazing fixedly and intently, especially with the eyes wide open.

   Standing in front of Jane’s staring face, Ravi lifted the conch shell above his head and smashed it into a hundred pieces on the floor.

2. boldly, inescapably, or obnoxiously conspicuous; glaring.

   Whenever I dwell on my own shortcomings, they begin to seem mild and harmless, not at all like the staring defects in other people's characters.

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adverb

1. Chiefly British. glaringly or conspicuously; thoroughly (often preceded bystark ).

   This "borrow and spend" policy is stark staring bonkers.

Other Word Forms

• staringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of staring

star(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Explanation

Staring — an open-eyed look of interest or amazement — is most often used as a verb but can also be an adjective. The man asked what you were staring at and his staring eyes seemed to look right through you. The word staring comes from the root word stare, a fixed gaze. Its early meaning was "to be rigid," or "to stiffen," and later became "to look fixedly at." Staring is often rude, unless the person you are staring at is putting on a performance. Staring at the sun is not a good idea, since it can damage your eyes. When an answer is "staring you in the face," it should be obvious.

Example Sentences

"The thing that keeps me up at night is that we're staring down the barrel of a massive influx of new vulnerabilities that are going to be found by AI," said Adam Meyers of CrowdStrike.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

At the same time, oil prices remain about 60% higher than at the start of the year, putting pressure on an American economy that was already staring down stubbornly high inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Once you add the loss of matchday and commercial revenue, it means clubs are staring down the barrel of £100m+ losses.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

In photographs from that week, I barely recognize the woman staring back at me.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Someone at the end of the shelves, fidgeting and staring.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu